The Hong Kong team had a practice session at Lach Tray Stadium at 7:00 p.m. on June 14, in preparation for the friendly match with the Vietnamese team (7:30 p.m. on June 15). Coach Jorn Andersen and his team spent most of the practice session on warm-up exercises to warm up their muscles, before starting with ball exercises.
The Norwegian strategist prepared very carefully for this match, when setting up a tactical table right on the field to direct his students. This is a match that Mr. Andersen hopes will help the Hong Kong team improve their combat experience, in order to prepare for the first qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup taking place in October, in addition to the 2022 Asian Cup finals in December, which this team has qualified for after 54 years of waiting.
Coach Jorn Andersen commented: "I have been following the Vietnamese team for a long time, having worked with coaches of Asian teams. In 2017, I coached the DPRK team to play against Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City. The Vietnamese team then trained in South Korea, when I coached Incheon United in the K-League."
Hong Kong players are unknown to the Vietnamese team, as this team defeated Afghanistan and Cambodia in the qualifying round to attend the 2023 Asian Cup.
Hong Kong team performs warm-up carefully
Coach Andersen set up a mock-up on the field to instruct his players on tactics. The Norwegian coach is very experienced as he has coached the North Korean national team, or the Incheon United team competing in the K-League in the 2018-2019 period.
The Hong Kong team has many players of foreign origin, notably Mahama Awal, a striker of Cameroonian origin who currently plays for Southern in the domestic league.
Hong Kong team's fitness and logistics team
The Hong Kong team is not sure to have the strongest force because some players have not fully recovered from injuries.
"The Hong Kong team came to Vietnam to play a friendly match, we are looking forward to this match because the Vietnamese team is a strong team in Asia. The Hong Kong team is ranked 145th compared to the 95th of the Vietnamese team, so this is a match to gain experience, because we are playing against a strong team in Asia, from there preparing best for the final round of the Asian Cup 2023. Our preparation for this match is that the players focus to the maximum, do not need to think about the playing style of the Vietnamese team because we do not know how they will play under coach Troussier.
The Vietnam team is in the process of transition after coach Park Hang-seo. I know that Mr. Troussier has coaching experience in Asia and Africa. We will focus on our tactics and try our best," coach Jorn Andersen shared at the press conference before the match.
According to Transfermark, the Hong Kong team is currently valued at around 6 million euros. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese team is valued at around 6.43 million euros. The average age of the Hong Kong team is 27.7. As for the Vietnamese team, this figure is 26.5.
Facing a team with personality like Hong Kong is an opportunity for the Vietnamese team to show their strength, especially in attack, to bring a football feast on June 15 at Lach Tray Stadium, Hai Phong.
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