In Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup, the Vietnamese team has not played any friendly matches, but the three teams Japan, Iraq and Indonesia have had notable matches.
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| The Vietnamese team practices, preparing for the friendly match with Kyrgyzstan. (Source: VFF) |
In addition to the Japanese team, which is showing its strength as a leading candidate for the championship, the Iraqi and Indonesian teams are showing problems that need to be corrected before the 2023 Asian Cup. Coach Philippe Troussier has a reason to inspire the Vietnamese team to be able to cause a surprise.
In Group D, except for the Vietnamese team that has not played a friendly match, the remaining 3 teams including Japan, Iraq and Indonesia have had notable matches. Of which, Iraq surprised many people when it only lost 0-1 to South Korea in a recent friendly match.
Coach Jesus Casas' team lost to Son Heung Min and his teammates in a match where they performed quite well. Iraq had 42% possession compared to 58% of the leading candidate for the 2023 Asian Cup championship, creating a few chances to score against the Korean goal.
In which, young midfielder Ali Jasim had a chance to equalize at the end of the first half when facing the opponent's goalkeeper but could not beat the goalkeeper.
Iraq conceded a goal in the 40th minute when Lee Jae Sung had a long-range shot that left goalkeeper Hassan Jalal helpless.
In the second half, Korea brought star players like Son Heung Min, Hwang Hee Chan, Lee Kang In... onto the field and they put great pressure on coach Jesus Casas' students.
The defeat on January 6th showed that Iraq still has a big gap with the championship candidate Korea. Coach Jesus Casas is satisfied with his players' performance but Iraq's attack will be a big problem for the West Asian representative in the upcoming tournament.
This is almost similar to the scenario when meeting the Vietnamese team at My Dinh in November 2023 in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia.
Iraq dominated the Vietnamese team in the first half, creating many opportunities but could not score and could only celebrate the effort that came in the final seconds of extra time.
At this time, coach Jesus Casas also hopes that his students can improve the situation soon. Striker Ali Hammadi, highly rated by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), is practicing separately after returning from England.
After the loss to South Korea, coach Jesus Casas let his players stay in the UAE to practice before flying to Qatar. The Spanish coach emphasized: "The players must try harder before the Asian Cup starts.
The recent defeat shows that the team still has shortcomings, some players are starting to lose form. The players have to look at themselves because the Asian Cup is not like a friendly match.
We still don't have the best cohesion. My goal is to build a team with good collective play, ready to compete with opponents in every tournament."
As for Indonesia, coach Shin Tae Yong is making fans in the archipelago worried about his ability to succeed. In recent years, Mr. Shin Tae Yong has not helped Indonesia achieve any significant results and despite having carefully planned preparations, the team still lost in a recent friendly match with Libya.
Despite being reinforced by a number of naturalized players, coach Shin Tae Yong and his team have lost 3 and drawn 1 in the last 4 matches, conceding 12 goals and scoring only 3 goals.
In the two matches against Libya, the Indonesian team lost with a total score of 1-5. Through the media, coach Shin Tae Yong reassured the home fans to be patient and continue to support the team in the official tournament.
Meanwhile, Libya coach Milutin Sredojevic commented after two wins against Indonesia: "The Indonesian team has problems with defense and finishing. In addition to poor finishing, Indonesia's wing attacks are not suitable."
According to plan, Coach Shin Tae Yong and his students have one more match against Iran (January 9) to complete preparations for the 2023 Asian Cup.
Coach Troussier will collect and analyze the developments of the opposing teams. The advantage of the Vietnamese team is that they are familiar teams and if they are well prepared, the chance of Coach Troussier and his team advancing is quite feasible.
( according to VNA )
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