On March 23, three AFC officials will be in Hanoi and are expected to inspect My Dinh Stadium on March 24 - two days before the second leg of the 2026 World Cup qualifying round between Vietnam and Indonesia.
In the first leg at Bung Karno Stadium, it was clear on television that the quality of the pitch was not really good, with many areas showing signs of yellowing and the grass not being green. A few months before the match, Bung Karno Stadium was criticized for not meeting the requirements for a big match.
Even the senior leaders of the Indonesian Football Federation had to urgently request the stadium organizers not to organize any events before the match, so as not to affect the grass. Even the home team and the other team Vietnam were not allowed to practice the day before the match because the stadium organizers were afraid that the grass would be damaged.
My Dinh Stadium on March 23
HOANG QUAN
Bung Karno Stadium
THUY AN
My Dinh Stadium at this time
After the first leg, coach Troussier commented: "The pitch was not really good. But I don't want to use that as an excuse for the defeat of the Vietnamese team. The players still tried to execute the game."
During the past time, the weather in Hanoi has not been nice. After the cold spell, it has entered a humid period. Taking care of the field is very hard, requiring great care and attention. According to FIFA and AFC requirements, the grass must be cut deep, only about 1.5 cm high. Currently, the field is quite good, the grass is green, and can meet the needs of the two teams. Vietnamese audiences expect the home team to turn the tables and win at home.
Coach Troussier emphasized: "The Vietnamese team can perform better in the second leg. The team will try their best. We will not give up, we will not surrender. We must win the next match if we want to continue. We can see the two matches against Indonesia as a knockout match with the first and second legs in the Champions League. We must focus. The first leg result was not satisfactory but the players tried their best. Our goal is to restore the 2-point gap after the match at My Dinh.
In the next match, home field is an advantage. A draw is enough for Indonesia. Therefore, we will calculate to deal with counter-attack situations, which is also Indonesia's strength. In this match, I also collected a lot of information about the players, from which I can make adjustments for the next match. Hopefully, when we play in Hanoi, we will come back stronger. We hope that the fans will come to the stadium to cheer strongly like the Indonesian fans who inspired their team in the first leg."
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