Malaysian media surprised when Cong Phuong was called back to the Vietnam team

Truyền thông Malaysia bất ngờ khi Công Phượng được gọi trở lại tuyển Việt Nam - Ảnh 1. — Cong Phuong was called back to the national team after nearly 2 years because of his good performance in the First Division - Photo: HOANG TUNG

Yesterday (May 22), the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) officially announced the list of 23 players summoned by coach Kim Sang Sik to face the Malaysian team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on June 10.

Malaysia's MakanBola news site later posted information about the Vietnamese national team calling up 23 players. What attracted attention and was especially emphasized by the Malaysian media was the return of striker Cong Phuong.

This newspaper wrote: "This training session saw Nguyen Cong Phuong return to the Vietnam national team list after a long time. That's because the last time he was called up was in September 2023."

Besides Cong Phuong, many familiar pillars of coach Kim Sang Sik are still present, including goalkeeper Nguyen Filip, Quang Hai, Nguyen Hoang Duc, and players Bui Tien Dung and Pham Tuan Hai.

The article also mentioned that rookie Cao Pendant Quang Vinh has a great chance to debut for the Vietnamese team during this training session.

Meanwhile, a notable absentee is Nguyen Xuan Son. Although the Brazilian striker is recovering from injury, he has not yet returned to face the Malaysian team.

According to the plan, the Vietnamese team will gather in Hanoi on May 29 to begin training. After that, the team will leave for Kuala Lumpur on June 6 to prepare for the match with host Malaysia.