Losing to Indonesia, Vietnam team says goodbye to Asian Cup 2023 early

In the first match of Group D, Vietnam lost to Japan with a score of 2-4, while Indonesia also lost to Iraq with a score of 1-3. Vietnam and Indonesia have not yet earned any points and this confrontation is of "life or death" significance for the goal of winning the third place with the best record. On the contrary, the door to the next round will almost be closed for the losing team.

Quang Hai (red shirt) started and wore the captain's armband.

In this match, coach Philippe Troussier made 2 adjustments compared to the opening match. Midfielder Quang Hai returned, wearing the captain's armband to replace Hung Hung. The player born in 1997, along with Thai Son and Tuan Anh, made up the 3 midfielders in the midfield. On the attack line, Van Tung replaced Dinh Bac to pair with Tuan Hai. The central trio remained the same: Viet Anh, Thanh Binh and Tuan Tai, the two wingers were Xuan Manh and Minh Trong, while goalkeeper Nguyen Filip continued to be the main goalkeeper.

The Indonesian team, with a squad that reached the final of the 32nd SEA Games and quality naturalized players, played very well and caused many difficulties for the Vietnamese team in the first half. The "island country" team started the game well, attacked continuously, and took advantage of defender Pratama Arhan's long-range throwing ability, causing many difficulties for the Vietnamese team's defense.

After the first 10 minutes of not being “warmed up”, the Vietnamese team regained control of the ball and attacked more. However, facing the “tough” and hard-pressing style of play from the opponent, the Vietnamese players were often fouled and had difficulty approaching the opponent’s goal. Although they controlled less, Indonesia was the team that created more clear scoring opportunities.

Vietnamese players are at a disadvantage when competing with opponents.

In the 37th minute, the opposing team had a dangerous opportunity. From a cross from Egy on the left, center-back Walsh ran into the penalty area without being marked by anyone, heading the ball into the near corner, but goalkeeper Nguyen Filip still managed to dive to save the goal for Vietnam. Six minutes later, Indonesia opened the scoring. Center-back Thanh Binh pulled Rafael Struick's shirt in the penalty area and the referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot. Despite discussing with the VAR team, the decision to award a penalty remained unchanged. Captain Asnawi Mangkualam took the responsibility of taking the penalty and Nguyen Filip was easily defeated, thereby helping the home team lead 1-0 after the first half.

Right at the beginning of the second half, coach Philippe Troussier made some personnel adjustments when he brought Van Khang and Thanh Long onto the field to replace Thai Son and Tuan Hai. The Vietnamese team had a very positive first 10 minutes of the second half when they attacked a lot, had a clear style and created scoring opportunities. Van Khang alone had 2 shots in the penalty area with his left foot but could not score. The best chance came in the 54th minute when Minh Trong crossed the ball from the left into the penalty area and midfielder Tuan Anh comfortably stretched his leg to finish but the ball flew over the crossbar.

The red shirt players played very hard.

The Vietnamese team tried very hard to attack in the following period, but just like the first half, the red-shirted players had difficulty against the opponent's pressing and fearless style of play. The second half was supplemented with 10 minutes, but with one less player when Thanh Long received a second yellow card and left the field, the Vietnamese team was helpless in scoring.

Losing 0-1 to Indonesia in the “life-or-death” match, the Vietnamese team was eliminated early in the group stage. In the final match of Group D on January 24, the Vietnamese team will meet Iraq, a team that has secured a place in the next round after unexpectedly defeating championship candidate Japan in the previous match.

VINH HY, photo: AFC

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