Coach Troussier explains why U23 Vietnam dominated but still tied

" We have won the right to continue, so in the players' minds, the determination and spirit have decreased a bit. Having won the right to continue has made the players somewhat less focused at the decisive moment. I don't blame the players much, because the goal of winning the right to continue has been achieved and the players all got to play ," coach Philippe Troussier said at the press conference after the match between U23 Vietnam and U23 Singapore with a score of 2-2.

U23 Vietnam 2-2 U23 Singapore

Certainly ranked first in Group C and qualified for the 2024 AFC U23 Championship, U23 Vietnam entered the match against U23 Singapore with a relaxed mentality. Coach Philippe Troussier made up to 8 changes in the starting lineup of U23 Vietnam, keeping only 3 players who started in the previous 2 matches.

The home team took the lead twice, but moments of carelessness caused coach Philippe Troussier's players to lose the victory.

Coach Troussier said: " This score is not the goal we set at the beginning of the match. In terms of parameters such as ball control and number of opportunities, U23 Vietnam is overwhelming and usually the team with these parameters will win. But football is not like that.

This is also a lesson for U23 Vietnam. Controlling the ball well is good, but we have to play more lethally and score goals. This is also a lesson for me. Today, the players played more freely. Playing like that, the players need to be more precise in their decisions."

Coach Troussier admitted that U23 Vietnam lacked concentration. (Photo: Kim Chi)

Coach Troussier believes that set pieces are the strength of Vietnamese football. However, the players need to do better and reduce the percentage of goals scored from set pieces. This comes from the fact that V-League always has many set pieces and quality foreign players dominate. This problem cannot be improved overnight.

" My goal is to help U23 Vietnam play on par with their opponents. The team needs to score more goals from open situations. The players are gradually becoming more confident. In this match, U23 Vietnam controlled the ball up to 85%, but the players have not found the right ways to handle the ball in open situations. The two goals came from penalty kicks and corners ," said the French coach.

Meanwhile, midfielder Nguyen Huu Nam admitted that he felt pressured and weighed down by his own goal, which led to the equalizer between U23 Vietnam and Vietnam. The player playing for PVF-CAND hopes that he can improve in his defensive set pieces. He expressed his joy when he was able to score a goal to make up for his mistake.