Qatar Goalkeeper Filip Nguyen affirmed that despite being highly rated, Vietnam cannot be subjective when facing Indonesia in the second round of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup.
"We respect Indonesia like Japan. But that doesn't mean we lower our goals. Vietnam wants to win three points in this match, because that is the condition for us to open up the opportunity to continue," Filip Nguyen said at a press conference on the afternoon of January 18, before the match at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium (Doha).
In the opening match, Vietnam lost 2-4 to Japan, while Indonesia lost 1-3 to Iraq. The goal of the two Southeast Asian teams now is to be one of the four third-placed teams with the best results, thereby winning a ticket to the round of 16.
Goalkeeper Filip Nguyen applauded the audience after Vietnam lost 2-4 to Japan at the 2023 Asian Cup on January 14. Photo: Lam Thoa
In the current FIFA rankings, Vietnam is ranked 95th, while Indonesia is 155th. Historically, each team has won eight and drawn 11. But in recent years, the advantage has been on Vietnam's side. Since 2019, the team has won two, drawn three, scored nine goals and conceded just one in five matches against Indonesia in all competitions.
Besides the technical aspect, the players' attitude in this match is also of interest. According to goalkeeper Filip Nguyen, the two teams need to focus on technical aspects, instead of hostile elements or tackles like before. "I know that the two teams have had fierce confrontations and clashes. But Vietnam will focus on playing football and be consistent with its style of play," the goalkeeper born in 1992 shared. "We will minimize collisions. We also pay attention to the fair play rule in the conditions that need to be considered as a secondary index to win a ticket to the next round. I believe Vietnam will win three points if it focuses on this match."
Filip Nguyen's father is Vietnamese, and he just completed the naturalization procedure at the end of 2023. The match in Japan was his first starting time for Vietnam.
The performance of the goalkeeper of the Hanoi Police Department has caused mixed opinions. He was accused of making a mistake in the first goal, but also had four or five excellent saves. Filip Nguyen himself said that he and his teammates tried their best when facing the team ranked 15th in the world.
"Many people predicted that Japan would beat Vietnam by a big margin. But we played strongly, especially in the first half - when we were leading 2-1 at one point," said Filip Nguyen. "Unfortunately, in the end, we still lost. But I am proud of the performance of the team and myself, in the first official match. We showed how good Vietnam can play."
Lam Thoa
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