Expert Doan Minh Xuong highly appreciated Vietnam's performance against Japan in the opening match of the 2023 Asian Cup, but also advised Philippe Troussier and his team to be sober with the compliments.
- Vietnam started the 2023 Asian Cup with a 2-4 loss to championship candidate Japan. What was your most satisfying point after this match?
- The players had a commendable performance. They entered the game confidently, not defending in a tight group but sticking close, coordinating, and circulating the ball well against the continent's top stars. The result was acceptable, because the team lost by two goals, but still scored two goals. The team's spirit was also excellent, because the players played their best.
Under coach Park Hang-seo, when facing strong teams, the Vietnamese team often chose a defensive-counterattacking style of play. But under coach Troussier, the team has changed, playing in control and avoiding pressing. Yesterday against Japan, there were many situations where the players did very well, and then we had two situations where we got a corner kick and a free kick, leading to two goals.
Japan wanted to dominate and finish Vietnam off early, but were surprised by Vietnam's tenacious resistance. The progress of the Vietnamese players was shown through their proactive possession of the ball and daring to cooperate in front of the opponent's players. Such a positive reaction is not easy to achieve against a strong team like Japan.
Striker Dinh Bac accelerated, forcing defender Yukinari Sugawara to foul and receive a yellow card in Vietnam's 2-4 loss to Japan in the first round of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup at Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar on January 14. Photo: Lam Thoa
- In addition, we also scored two goals against Japan for the first time. What do you think about this?
- We scored two goals thanks to our confidence in keeping the ball at home and organizing the ball with purpose. Although these two goals were somewhat lucky, they were still the result of our efforts and the intention to play attacking football. In the 1-1 equalizer, the Japanese side was complacent. Perhaps because they did not think that the shorter Vietnamese player could head the ball, they did not mark him closely. Hung Dung again kicked a corner kick with a very good cross, right to Dinh Bac's head so that the striker shook his head and headed the ball into the far corner. If we had to do it again, I think it would not be easy. In the goal to increase the score to 2-1, it is true that the Japanese goalkeeper made a mistake, but Tuan Hai deserves praise for "smelling" the opportunity and rushing to score the rebound instead of being passive. That shows the determination and confidence of this generation of players.
Scoring two goals against Japan is something that top teams like Germany, Spain, and Türkiye have not been able to do in the past year. This detail will certainly relieve pressure, and help Vietnamese players be more confident in the following matches.
- What do you think about the second half, when Japan completely took the initiative and did not give Vietnam any more opportunities?
- As I said, Japan wanted to end the match early, but they did not expect Vietnam to react well, so they had to be on guard. When they were leading 3-2, in the second half they no longer played domineeringly but returned to controlling, so Vietnam had no more chances. In fact, the whole second half showed that Vietnam really wanted to attack to equalize, but were powerless because Japan did not give us any more chances.
Main developments of the match Vietnam 2-4 Japan.
So it can be seen that Japan has not given their all. They also played moderately to save energy for the next match against Iraq, because if they still win, they will soon advance to the next round. The Asian Cup is still long, so big teams like Japan only need to win. They are not foolish enough to win big and lose energy, and risk injuries and penalties.
- How do you think the performance against Japan will help Vietnam when they meet Indonesia in the next match on January 19?
- Football is not a bridge. Don't think that we can beat Germany if we lose 2-4 to Japan, because Germany lost 1-4 to Japan. Don't think that we can beat Thailand because Thailand lost 0-5 to Japan. Therefore, we should not be too happy and believe that we will easily beat Indonesia. Each match has a different approach. Against Indonesia, Vietnam is no longer the underdog, but must rise up and play an open game to find victory. Therefore, the team needs to be alert in every pass, haste and impatience will easily create the opposite effect.
In addition, I am also quite worried about another detail. The two goals we scored against Japan were both from set pieces, not from open play. Against Indonesia, we will have more balls and more chances, so we need to finish well to achieve our goal.
Mr. Doan Minh Xuong has more than 30 years of experience in the football field, having led Dong Thap, Binh Duong, Ninh Binh or Ho Chi Minh City... Photo: Dong Huyen
- In his first match for the Vietnamese national team, goalkeeper Nguyen Filip admitted to making a mistake in the third goal. How do you evaluate his overall performance?
- He is a classy goalkeeper and has a very good performance with excellent reflexes. Nguyen Filip is strong in playing with his feet, so he can keep the ball and coordinate with his teammates to avoid the pressure of the Japanese side.
Regarding the third goal, it was a repeat of the time Dang Van Lam rushed forward against Iraq in the World Cup qualifiers, lost the ball and received a fatal blow. From these mistakes, I think the goalkeeper coach, assistants and Coach Troussier need to give advice, advise and instruct their players to be more alert in such important moments. Nguyen Filip's strength is playing with his feet, and he needs to be taught more "tricks" in football to reduce the excitement of the opponent, save energy for his teammates, stabilize the system and then deploy the ball forward.
In addition to Filip, the entire Vietnamese defense system also needs to be recognized. Because when facing the Japanese stars, they were not afraid but stuck close, calmly handled the ball, and neutralized many opportunities. This needs to be promoted more and I have faith that they will play better in the upcoming matches.
Duc Dong
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