Vietnam team has another friendly opponent
The Vietnamese team will face Cambodia in an international friendly match on March 19 at Go Dau Stadium. This is the first time in four years that the two teams have met.
The last time the Vietnamese team competed against Cambodia was at the AFF Cup 2020. On a neutral field in Singapore, Quang Hai and his teammates won 4-0. Previously at the AFF Cup 2018, Vietnam won 3-0 at home at Hang Day Stadium against Cambodia to take the top spot in the group.
The Vietnamese team won the AFF Cup 2024 with a convincing record (7 wins, 1 draw), while the Cambodian team was eliminated in the group stage. Coach Koji Ryotoku and his team won against Timor Leste (2-1), drew with Malaysia (2-2), lost to Singapore (1-2) and Thailand (2-3).
Vietnam team plays 3 friendly matches in March
PHOTO: NGOC LINH
With the friendly match against Cambodia, the Vietnamese team will have a total of 3 matches in March. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will face Cambodia (March 19) and Myanmar (March 20) in the international friendly. On March 25, the Vietnamese team will face Laos in the opening match of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. All 3 matches will take place at Go Dau Stadium (Binh Duong province).
Win to rank up
Playing friendly matches continuously helps the Vietnamese team have the opportunity to improve its ranking on the FIFA scoreboard. Before entering the AFF Cup 2024, Quang Hai and his teammates ranked 114th.
However, 7 wins in 8 matches in the Southeast Asian playground helped coach Kim Sang-sik and his team accumulate an additional 10.22 points, thereby rising to 112th place with 1,175.01 points (according to estimates by Football Ranking).
With 10.22 points, the Vietnamese team became the team with the most points increase in the FIFA rankings in January. Part of the reason is that the AFF Cup 2024 takes place during a time when most national teams in the world are not focused on competing. Therefore, important victories have helped Vietnam increase its ranking.
Mr. Kim and his team need to accumulate points from friendly matches.
PHOTO: VFF
For example, the Vietnamese team was awarded 2.79 points for beating Thailand 2-1 in the first leg of the final. Then, in the second leg of the final, Vietnam came back to win 3-2, thus gaining 2.77 points. Although only moving up 2 places, the accumulated 10.22 points helped coach Kim Sang-sik and his team shorten the gap with the world's top 100.
A good position on the FIFA rankings is very important, because this is the basis for seeding for the 2027 Asian Cup and the 2030 World Cup qualifiers, which are the key tournaments that the Vietnamese team is aiming for in the next 2 years.
In the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, the Vietnamese team is in the same group as Malaysia, Laos and Nepal. The goal of Mr. Kim and his team is to win first place to enter the final round.
Thanhnien.vn
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