" My Dinh Stadium affects the ability of Vietnamese players to play and control the ball. The ball bounces quite a lot. I hope we can solve this problem as soon as possible. Only when we do that can we perfect our ball control style of play ," said coach Troussier after the loss to Iraq.
The Vietnamese team performed impressively but suffered a regrettable defeat. Coach Troussier’s players tried their best until the last minute against a team of superior quality. However, the last-minute goal resulted in a 0-1 defeat for the Vietnamese team.
Coach Troussier highly appreciated the efforts of the Vietnamese team. (Photo: VFF)
" I am disappointed with the result and the goals conceded, but I am not disappointed at all with the way the players played, their spirit and their efforts. The players fought until the last minute against the top opponents in Asia ," said coach Troussier.
Besides the influence of the pitch, Mr. Troussier assessed that the level and physical strength of Vietnamese players are still limited compared to Iraq. That is the reason why the French coach wants the Vietnamese team to play friendly matches with strong opponents in the October series and accept defeats.
"We lost but learned a lesson. The Vietnamese team needs points but we also have to admit that they have not experienced many high-intensity matches at the international level. Therefore, in October I accept playing against strong teams so that they can get used to such top opponents.
"The players had difficulty maintaining the tempo for 90 minutes. I made the substitution today not because of tactics but because of player fatigue. We are focused, but we cannot meet the high intensity at the international level. The players can only meet the 60 minutes, the rest still depends on luck and mistakes from the opponent," said coach Troussier.
After two matches, the Vietnamese team ranked second in Group F with 3 points. The Iraqi team ranked first with 6 absolute points. The Philippines and Indonesia shared the last two positions with 1 point each.
The French coach said that the 0-1 loss in the context of Group F was not a bad result for the Vietnamese team. Coach Troussier and his team still ranked second and only lost to the strongest opponent in the group, still 2 points ahead of Indonesia and the Philippines.
Mr. Troussier said: "We entered the match with the desire to win, but the ultimate goal is to be in the top 2 teams to continue. The main opponent is Indonesia. I have a lot of respect for the Philippines, but Indonesia is the main opponent of the Vietnamese team.
Before this match, we expected a draw with Iraq, and Indonesia to beat the Philippines. In fact, the Vietnamese team lost, but Indonesia tied with the Philippines. Therefore, we are 2 points ahead of Indonesia."
Van Hai
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