EXTREMELY STRONG WEST ASIAN FOOTBALL TEAM
The 5-1 victory over Indonesia was a strong statement of Iraq's strength in Group F of the 2nd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. Not only in terms of score, the West Asian representative outperformed their opponent in all aspects: physique, strength, speed and ability to impose the game. Iraqi players won in 1-on-1 situations, controlled the ball well and deployed a very diverse attacking style. Iraq's five goals and countless chances came from many approaches to the goal.
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Vietnamese audiences expect Van Toan to continue to shine.
It could be the central attack like the tricky turn and finish of striker Bashar Rasan in the opening goal. Or the continuous attacks on the left wing with quality crosses that made Jordi Amat confused and scored an own goal. The ability to create pressure in the midfield and shoot from distance of the midfielders is also very impressive. The important goal for Iraq to take the lead 3-1 was a beautiful kick by Osama Rashid. In addition, Iraq's attacking power is also shown in the situations where they coordinate smoothly, speed and technique to bring the ball down the sideline and return it to score. Like the way Youssef Amyn scored the 4th goal for Iraq, or Ali Al Hamadi glided past the defense and goalkeeper of Indonesia to seal the score 5-1. It was truly a victory that showed the difference in level between Iraq and Indonesia. The West Asian team is maintaining excellent and stable form when continuing to maintain a streak of 5 unbeaten matches. And if we look further, in the last 12 matches, Iraq has only lost 2 matches. Those were unfortunate losses to Colombia and Russia in the friendly series in March and May 2023.
DIFFICULT PROBLEM BUT STILL HAS A SOLUTION
Looking at the way Indonesia played and lost miserably to Iraq, perhaps coach Troussier could have imagined the strength of the opponent, as well as the pressure that the Vietnamese team had to face. It would not be a leisurely and comfortable match like the 2-0 victory over the Philippines, but a match where Van Lam and his teammates would have to struggle at every moment and every position on the field.
Even though they are playing at home, perhaps every square meter of My Dinh Stadium will become cramped and difficult to face the pressure of the opponent. Coach Troussier's students must even imagine facing difficult circumstances similar to what they experienced in the friendly matches with South Korea or Uzbekistan in October. That means they will have difficulty controlling the ball in their home field against the high pressing pressure of the opponent. The Iraqi players are all very strong, agile and play with high determination, strictly following the tactics. That means Tuan Tai - Minh Trong - Viet Anh - Van Thanh need to minimize individual mistakes, especially in their home field if they do not want to concede an early goal.
Mr. Troussier will use these players in the match against Iraq.
In the friendly matches last month, the Vietnamese team conceded many goals due to poor passes from the players in the backline. Moreover, the formation distance and defensive block also need to be tightened and have more coordination and closer connection. In the match against Korea, the gap between our central defenders and central midfielders was exploited to the maximum by Son Heung-min. This time, Iraq does not have world-class stars, but their attack is also diverse and powerful with a squad of players who are playing impressively in Europe and top clubs in West Asia. The important thing is that Iraq plays fast and diversely, which makes it difficult for us to predict and outline specific and clear professional measures. It all depends on the flexibility and combat ability of the players. What we are quite worried about is that Mr. Troussier's students are still on the way to perfecting their ball control style of play, and are still very weak in the transition phase and proactive defense against the opponent's pressure.
Coach Troussier at the training session on the evening of November 20 at My Dinh Stadium
Van Lam will face many difficulties when facing the Iraqi team.
We still have 5 more matches ahead. Including the first and second leg matches with Iraq and Indonesia. If we analyze strategically, the direct confrontation with Indonesia will be the deciding factor, but sometimes the important factor to continue is the number of points, even the goal difference in the matches with Iraq. Therefore, the confrontation with Iraq at home, although not the decisive match, is an important step on the very long road to the World Cup. To be fair, we do not have many opportunities against our opponents. In the past, we also lost 3, drew 1. But now Vietnamese football has turned a new page with a different coach. Hopefully, those new and different things will bring about efficiency. Another interesting aspect is that the match between us and Iraq will show the gap between us and our opponents, between Vietnam and the top of Asia. To see if the World Cup dream is real or still too far away...
NORTH STONE STONE , V EAT NO REGISTRATION
Expected lineup of Vietnam team against Iraq team: Dang Van Lam, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Vu Van Thanh, Nguyen Thanh Binh, Phan Tuan Tai, Vo Minh Trong, Nguyen Thai Son, Nguyen Tuan Anh (captain), Nguyen Dinh Bac, Pham Tuan Hai, Nguyen Van Toan.
Meanwhile, Hoang Duc, Van Quyet, Van Tung, Van Toan, and Van Cuong were not registered.
Nhat Duy
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