Striker Nguyen Cong Phuong has a chance to show off to coach Philippe Troussier when he is guaranteed a place in the friendly match against Syria today.
Cong Phuong dribbles the ball during the UAE match in the second qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup - Asia region in June 2021. Photo: Lam Thoa
*Vietnam - Syria: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, on VnExpress
After his contract with HAGL expired in December 2022, Nguyen Cong Phuong decided not to renew it and instead moved to Yokohama FC. Similar to his previous trips abroad, playing for Mito Hollyhock (2016), Incheon United and Sint Truiden (2019), the striker born in 1995 had difficulty finding a place at the club. At Yokohama FC, he only entered the field once in an official tournament, in the 90th minute of the 2-3 loss to Nagoya Grampus on April 5. In total, Cong Phuong was not registered after 13 rounds in J-League 1 and was on the bench for three out of four matches in the J-League Cup.
However, Cong Phuong was still called up to the Vietnam national team. Coach Philippe Troussier admitted that the striker from Nghe An did not deserve to be called up based on his performance, but he respected his talent and experience, as was the case with Nguyen Quang Hai. After sitting out the Hong Kong match, Cong Phuong was included in the practice match against Hai Phong , where he scored the only goal for the team in a 1-2 defeat. At yesterday's press conference, Coach Troussier confirmed that he would give Cong Phuong a chance to play when they host Syria at Thien Truong Stadium. It is likely that the former HAGL striker will start as a left-sided striker, as he has in recent training sessions.
In the last time the Vietnamese team faced Syria, a friendly match at My Dinh Stadium on May 31, 2016, Cong Phuong also participated. He entered the field in the 58th minute, replacing Nguyen Van Quyet, who scored the winning goal to make it 2-0. Although he did not score, Cong Phuong made a strong impression with a series of skillful dribbling, passing to Dinh Thanh Trung to finish or shooting just wide of the A corner.
This is considered the best match of coach Nguyen Huu Thang as head coach of the Vietnam team, before resigning due to failure at the 2017 SEA Games. The person chosen to replace him, coach Park Hang-seo, also has a good relationship with Syria. The 0-0 draw with this opponent in the final round of the 2018 U23 Asian group stage was enough to help U23 Vietnam qualify for the next round, and then create a miracle with the silver medal. In the quarter-finals of the 2018 ASIAD, Vietnam also made a big splash when defeating Syria with the only goal scored by Nguyen Van Toan.
However, Syria cannot be underestimated at this time, especially when they have participated in the third qualifying round of both the most recent World Cups in 2018 and 2022, and are currently ranked 95th in FIFA - five places higher than Vietnam. In their desire to rise, Syria also invited coach Hector Cuper. The Argentine coach was once very famous in Europe when he and Valencia reached the UEFA Champions League final twice (1999-2000, 2000-2001), and won the Spanish Super Cup with Real Malloca (1998). In addition, he also led Inter Milan and was the teacher of "alien" Ronaldo. At the national team level, coach Cuper helped Egypt qualify for the 2018 World Cup finals.
Coach Troussier is under a lot of pressure as the Vietnamese team has not played as smoothly as expected. Photo: Lam Thoa
On the contrary, Vietnam seems to be having difficulties in the transition period, from Coach Park to Coach Troussier. After his debut match, winning 1-0 against Hong Kong at Lach Tray Stadium on June 15, the French coach received a lot of criticism. The reason is that the team played incoherently, not yet forming a style of play that controlled the ball and proactively organized attacks as expected. If goalkeeper Dang Van Lam did not play excellently and the crossbar and vertical posts did not save the goal three times, Vietnam would hardly win. It is no coincidence that many fans left Lach Tray Stadium in the 75th minute, even though they had spent a lot of effort to get tickets to the stadium.
However, everything was just a friendly match and the team still received a warm welcome from Nam Dinh fans. The match tickets were sold out after only one day of release, and Thien Truong promises to become a "hot spot" with stands full of spectators.
Expected lineup
Vietnam: Dinh Trieu, Van Hau, Tien Dung, Ngoc Hai, Tuan Tai, Van Thanh, Ti Phong, Thai Son, Van Toan, Cong Phuong, Manh Dung.
Syria: Manadieh, Jenyat, Al Midani, Thaer Krouma, Kerdagli, Mouhamad Anez, Ashkar, Al-Mawas, Hosam Aiesh, Al Marmour, Al Somah.
Lam Thoa
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