Heavy rain, flooded Thong Nhat Stadium: How is the Vietnamese team affected?

The match between Nepal and Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on the evening of October 14 was postponed for 30 minutes due to bad weather. The performance of coach Kim Sang-sik's players may also be affected.

From around 5pm, heavy rain poured down on Ho Chi Minh City, lasting until 7pm. As a result, Thong Nhat Stadium was flooded. The organizers of the match between Nepal and Vietnam were concerned that this would affect the quality of the game, so they decided to postpone the match by 30 minutes. The match is scheduled to start at 8pm, instead of 7:30pm as planned. If the weather does not cooperate, the match may be postponed further.

This is bad news for the Vietnamese team. When the pitch is wet and slippery, Duy Manh and his teammates' control will be greatly affected. Meanwhile, this weather condition is favorable for the Nepal team's defensive counter-attacking style of play.

Heavy rain outside Thong Nhat Stadium

PHOTO: KHA HOA

Fans still brave the rain, ready to cheer for the Vietnamese team

PHOTO: KHA HOA

Thong Nhat Stadium is now wet.

PHOTO: NGOC LINH

Stadium organizers try to 'save' the stadium

Coach Kim Sang-sik: 'The Vietnamese team must keep a clean sheet in the second leg against Nepal'

At the press conference before the match on the afternoon of October 13, Nepal's head coach Matthew Ross also shared: "We often play in wet weather conditions in Nepal because Nepal has just gone through the rainy season. We also recently faced Bangladesh in bad conditions. Our goalkeeper also loves playing in the rain. For Nepal, that is not a disadvantage. The heavier the rain, the better for us. The players are used to it."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mua-lon-san-thong-nhat-ngap-nuoc-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-bi-anh-huong-gi-185251014190934402.htm