Vietnam lost before Asian Cup 2023

Qatar Vietnam lost 1-2 to Kyrgyzstan in a closed practice match on the afternoon of January 9, which was also the final rehearsal before the 2023 Asian Cup.

* Goals: Truong Tien Anh 63' – Joel Kojo 31', Ayzar Akmatov 74'.

The two teams agreed to play a closed practice match, so the lineup and substitutions were not announced. Therefore, the match was not counted for FIFA points.

According to VnExpress , each player played from 25 to 30 minutes, so the lineup was constantly in disarray. Except for Duy Manh, who had just recovered from injury and was given complete rest, coach Philippe Troussier sent 29 players onto the field for testing and did not take the results seriously. This was Vietnam's only practice match in Qatar before entering the 2023 Asian Cup.

Do Hung Dung (No. 8) was captain of the Vietnamese team's starting lineup against Kyrgyzstan. Photo: KFU

Vietnam is ranked 94th in the FIFA rankings, four places higher than Kyrgyzstan. However, the opponent has good physical strength and plays strongly, similar to Uzbekistan or Russia. Before meeting Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan played three matches, losing 1-4 to Uzbekistan, 0-1 to UAE and drawing 1-1 with Syria, so they have better stability and coordination than Vietnam.

They took the lead in the 31st minute, thanks to striker Joel Kojo - who was born in Ghana but is naturalized in Kyrgyzstan. In the 63rd minute, winger Truong Tien Anh equalized 1-1 for Vietnam. But 11 minutes later, defender Ayzar Akmatov scored the final goal for the Central Asian team.

Midfielder Khuat Van Khang (white shirt) competes for the ball with a Kyrgyzstan player. Photo: KFU

Vietnam has four days to prepare before entering the opening match of Group D against Japan on January 14, at Al Thumama Stadium. After that, the team plays Indonesia on January 19 and Iraq on January 25.

The team has adapted well to the climate in Qatar since arriving on January 5. Coach Troussier has gradually increased the training time to adapt to the match schedule. The opening match against Japan will take place at 2:30 p.m. Doha, or 6:30 p.m. Hanoi .

Vietnam's opponents in Group D have mostly completed their practice matches to review their squads. Japan showed off their strength by beating Thailand 5-0 and Jordan 6-1. Iraq lost to South Korea 0-1. Meanwhile, Indonesia played two matches, losing to Libya 0-4 and 1-2, and has a practice match with Iran late tonight.

Kyrgyzstan is in Group F, facing Thailand, Saudi Arabia and Oman respectively.

Hieu Luong

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/viet-nam-thua-truoc-them-asian-cup-2023-4698919.html