Vietnam team had dinner and watched the strongest opponent in the group beat Indonesia

The Vietnamese national team is carefully analyzing their opponent, Iraq. (Source: VFF)

Following their victory against the Philippines last night (November 16th), the Vietnamese team was having dinner at the same time as the match between their two remaining opponents in the group. Iraq demonstrated their strength as the top team in the group by defeating Indonesia 5-1.

Coach Philippe Troussier and his players closely watched the match on television. The players ate while watching how their next opponent performed. On November 21st, the Vietnamese national team will face Iraq at My Dinh Stadium.

Iraq's disadvantage is that they have to travel a long distance to Hanoi immediately after the match. The visiting team will arrive in Vietnam this afternoon (November 17th).

The Vietnamese national team defeated the Philippines in their opening match. (Photo: VFF)

Meanwhile, coach Troussier decided to have the Vietnamese team stay in Manila (Philippines) for an extra day. The reason is that flights from the Philippines back to Vietnam only have two departure times: morning and evening. To optimize the physical recovery process for his players, coach Troussier chose an evening flight so that the players would have more time to rest and could train the following morning upon arrival in Hanoi.

The Vietnamese national team began their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign in the Asian region with a 2-0 victory over the Philippines away from home. Nguyen Van Toan and Nguyen Dinh Bac were the goalscorers for Vietnam.

The President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), Tran Quoc Tuan, called to congratulate coach Philippe Troussier and his team and announce the good news. For securing their first three points in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the VFF Standing Committee awarded the national team 1 billion VND.

Han Phong

Source: https://vtc.vn/tuyen-viet-nam-vua-an-toi-vua-soi-doi-thu-manh-nhat-bang-thang-dam-indonesia-ar834744.html