Ha NoiAfter losing to Indonesia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on the evening of March 26, striker Nguyen Van Toan felt sorry for the fans, hoping to still receive support for the team to come back strong.
“Losing the match is very sad and disappointing,” Van Toan said after the defeat against Indonesia at My Dinh Stadium in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. “The whole team feels sorry for the fans. They came to the stadium in large numbers to cheer, but we could not achieve the desired results. Please be gentle with the players, so we can strive to return in the future with positive things."
In this match, Van Toan continued to sit on the bench and was only brought onto the field in the 59th minute when Vietnam was trailing 0-2. The striker of Nam Dinh Club played aggressively, had a number of shooting opportunities, but was not sharp enough to score. In the end, Vietnam lost 0-3, remaining stuck in third place in Group F.
Van Toan admitted that he had difficulty keeping up with the match because he came on the field when the home team had lost by a large margin, and his teammates were eager to score an equalizer, leading to an unsatisfactory handling of the situation.
Van Toan dribbles the ball in Vietnam's 0-3 loss to Indonesia at My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi on the evening of March 26. Image: Giang Huy
Unlike Van Toan, midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai was not even used by coach Troussier for a single minute in both matches against Indonesia. Having played for different teams together for many years, Van Toan sympathizes with his teammates. “We respect the coach's philosophy and decisions. But any player who doesn't get to play is disappointed. Quang Hai is the same, and I think he will be very disappointed about this match," said the Hai Duong striker.
After four matches in Group F, Iraq with 12 points won the first ticket to the third round. Indonesia ranked second with seven points, Vietnam got three points, and the Philippines had no chance with only one point. Vietnam has lost the right to self-determination in this group, and can only continue if they win the remaining two matches against Iraq and the Philippines, and hope that Indonesia is negligent.
Main developments of the Vietnam 0-3 Indonesia match.
According to Van Toan, even though there are not many chances to advance, the team will still try their best in the last two matches in June. "Up to now, I still can't believe that Vietnam lost so heavily 6-0 at home. like this. But we still have two matches ahead, and hope the team will play well to regain the image of Vietnamese football," he said.
Duc Dong
