The Vietnam - Japan and Vietnam - Indonesia matches are among the six most exciting matches in the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup, according to a vote by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Main events of the match Vietnam lost to Japan 2-4
Vietnam's 2-4 loss to Japan on January 14 in the first round had the most goals scored in the group stage, besides the 3-3 draw between South Korea and Malaysia.
AFC commented: "The match is of interest because Philippe Troussier - the coach who led Japan to win the 2000 Asian Cup - is facing his former team for the first time since leaving after the 2002 World Cup. He and Vietnam made one of the championship candidates extremely scared in the first match of Group D."
Pham Tuan Hai (right) celebrates the goal that raised the score to 2-1 for Vietnam in the 2-4 loss to Japan, in the opening match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup. Photo: Lam Thoa
Takumi Minamino opened the scoring for Japan in the 11th minute, but Vietnam turned the game around, leading 2-1 thanks to a header from Nguyen Dinh Bac and a close-range tap-in from Pham Tuan Hai. However, two technical finishes from Minamino and Keito Nakamura put Japan back in front before the first half ended. In the second half, Japan did not allow Vietnam to get close to the goal, before Ayase Ueda sealed the score in the 85th minute with a shot from inside the penalty area.
Both teams received praise after the match from international media and fans. Vietnam used their ball possession to limit their opponents' attacks. Meanwhile, Japan showed composure despite being behind, not panicking, but controlling the game to turn the game around.
However, coach Troussier and his team received a lot of criticism when they lost 0-1 to Indonesia in the second match - a match that was also selected by AFC as the most attractive match of the group stage. This was a rare match between two Southeast Asian representatives since the 1972 Asian Cup. Both wanted to win to show their position in the region and take the opportunity to pass the group stage.
Indonesia dominated the first half. The turning point came in the 39th minute when Nguyen Thanh Binh pulled Rafael Struick's shirt in the penalty area, leading to a penalty. On the 11m mark, Asnawi Mangkualam beat Nguyen Filip to score the only goal of the match. "Shin Tae-yong and his team won an important victory," the AFC article said. "Continuous improvement has created a new breakthrough for Indonesia."
Despite losing 1-3 to Japan in the final match, Indonesia still advanced to the Asian Cup group stage for the first time after Oman was held to a 1-1 draw by Kyrgyzstan in Group F. Meanwhile, Vietnam was stopped early and ended the group stage with a dramatic 2-3 loss to Iraq.
Group D also has the match Iraq won Japan 2-1 selected in the list, considered an earthquake in the tournament.
The three remaining exciting matches voted by AFC are Saudi Arabia's 2-1 win over Oman in extra time in Group F, newcomer Tajikistan's 2-1 comeback win over Lebanon in Group A, and South Korea's 3-3 draw with Malaysia in Group E.
Hieu Luong - Vnexpress.net
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