Coach Troussier praised the Vietnamese team and criticized My Dinh Stadium.

" The surface of the My Dinh Stadium pitch affected the Vietnamese players' ability to play and control the ball. The ball bounced quite a lot. I hope we can solve this problem as soon as possible. Only when we do that can we perfect our ball-control style of play ," Coach Troussier said after the loss to Iraq.

The Vietnamese team put in an impressive performance but suffered a heartbreaking defeat. Coach Troussier's players fought hard until the very last minute against a superior opponent. However, a last-minute goal resulted in a 0-1 loss for Vietnam.

Coach Troussier praised the efforts of the Vietnamese national team. (Photo: VFF)

" I'm disappointed with the result and the goal conceded, but I'm not at all disappointed with the way the players played, their spirit, and their effort. The players fought until the very last minute against a top Asian opponent ," said coach Troussier.

Besides the influence of the pitch, Mr. Troussier assessed that the skill level and physical fitness of Vietnamese players are still limited compared to Iraq. That is why the French coach wants the Vietnamese national team to play friendly matches against strong opponents in October and accept defeats.

"We lost but learned a lesson. The Vietnamese team needs points, but we also have to acknowledge that they haven't experienced many high-intensity matches at the international level. Therefore, in October, I accepted playing against strong teams so they could get used to facing top opponents like that."

"The players struggled to maintain the tempo for 90 minutes. I made substitutions today not for tactical reasons, but because of the players' fatigue. We were focused, but we couldn't meet the high intensity of the international level. The players were only able to handle 60 minutes; the rest depended on luck and mistakes from the opponent," said Coach Troussier.

After two matches, the Vietnamese team is ranked second in Group F with 3 points. The Iraqi team is in first place with a perfect 6 points. The Philippines and Indonesia share the last two positions with 1 point each.

The French coach believes that a 0-1 defeat in Group F is not a bad result for the Vietnamese team. Coach Troussier's team still ranks second, narrowly losing to the strongest opponent in the group, and is still 2 points ahead of Indonesia and the Philippines.

Mr. Troussier said: "We go into the match hoping to win, but the ultimate goal is to be in the top two to advance. Our main opponent is Indonesia. I have great respect for the Philippines, but Indonesia is the main rival of the Vietnamese team."

Before this match, we expected a draw against Iraq, and Indonesia to win against the Philippines. In reality, the Vietnamese team lost, but Indonesia drew with the Philippines. Therefore, we are 2 points ahead of Indonesia."

Van Hai

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