Nguyen Van Toan: 'Please be gentle with Vietnamese players'

Hanoi After losing to Indonesia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on the evening of March 26, striker Nguyen Van Toan felt sorry for the fans and hoped to still receive support so that the team could come back stronger.

"Losing the match is very sad and disappointing," Van Toan said after the defeat to Indonesia at My Dinh Stadium in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. "The whole team feels sorry for the fans. They came to the stadium in large numbers to cheer us on, but we could not achieve the desired result. Please be gentle with the players so that we can strive to return in the future with positive things."

In this match, Van Toan continued to sit on the bench and was only brought on in the 59th minute when Vietnam was behind 0-2. The striker of Nam Dinh Club played energetically, had a few chances to finish, but was not sharp enough to score. In the end, Vietnam lost 0-3, continuing to be stuck in third place in Group F.

Van Toan admitted that he had difficulty getting into the rhythm of the match because he entered the field when his team was already losing by a large margin, and his teammates were eager to score an equalizer, leading to an unsatisfactory handling of the situation.

Van Toan dribbles the ball during the match where Vietnam lost 0-3 to Indonesia at My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi on the evening of March 26. Photo: Giang Huy — Van Toan dribbles the ball during the match where Vietnam lost 0-3 to Indonesia at My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi on the evening of March 26. Photo: *Giang Huy*

Unlike Van Toan, midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai was not even used by coach Troussier in both matches against Indonesia. Having played for the national teams together for many years, Van Toan sympathized with his teammates. "We respect the philosophy and decisions of the coach. But any player who does not get to play is disappointed. Quang Hai is the same, and I think he will be very disappointed about this match," said the striker from Hai Duong.

After four matches in Group F, Iraq with 12 points has secured the first ticket to the third round. Indonesia is second with seven points, Vietnam has three points, and the Philippines has run out of chances with only one point. Vietnam has lost the right to decide in this group, and can only go through if they win both remaining matches against Iraq and the Philippines, and hope that Indonesia is careless.

Main developments of the match Vietnam 0-3 Indonesia.

According to Van Toan, although there are not many opportunities to continue, the team will still try their best in the last two matches in June. "Until now, I still cannot believe that Vietnam lost 0-3 at home like this. But we still have two matches ahead, and hope the team will play well to restore the image of Vietnamese football," he said.

Duc Dong

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