Due to injury, midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai will not be able to play in the friendly match between the Vietnamese and Korean teams on October 17.
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| Midfielder Quang Hai had to sit out the match between Vietnam and South Korea. (Source: Vnexpress) |
On the morning of October 14, the Vietnamese team had a relaxation and fitness training session in the hotel gym. Quang Hai was not present during the training session because the team doctor took the midfielder to the hospital for an MRI scan to determine the extent of the injury to his calf. According to the doctors' conclusion, Quang Hai will not be able to participate in the team's next match.
Previously, Quang Hai had to leave the field in the 16th minute of the training match with Uzbekistan on the evening of October 13. In the friendly match between Vietnam and China on October 10, Quang Hai did not play. Thus, midfielder Quang Hai has no chance to score points during the October tour of the Vietnam team.
On the afternoon of October 14, the Vietnamese team was free to operate and prepare their luggage to travel to Korea on the morning of October 15. In Korea, the team will have 2 training sessions before entering the friendly match on the occasion of FIFA Days in October with the Korean team, taking place on October 17 at Suwon World Cup Stadium. This match is also the last practice match of the Vietnamese team for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers that will start in November.
After two friendly matches, both lost to China and Uzbekistan with a score of 0-2, coach Philippe Troussier said: "Against the opponent Korea, we need to improve and further strengthen the defense organization in open situations. Facing strong teams like Uzbekistan or Korea, I think the team can only control 30-35% of the ball time. In the remaining time without the ball, the Vietnamese team must have good defense discipline and organization."
According to the French strategist, the match against Uzbekistan is a good test for the whole team, to understand that the difficulty of the next match is even higher. The players must focus on the moments when they need to defend, improve more, and cherish the opportunity to have a transition situation with the ball, to create a situation that can score.
This is not the first time Quang Hai has suffered a calf injury. At the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines, he tore his left biceps in the group stage match against Singapore. He did not play in the final match against Thailand, the semi-final against Cambodia, and the final against Indonesia. In the 2020 AFC U23 Championship finals, Quang Hai returned to play but was not in perfect physical condition.
At the AFF Cup 2022 in December, Quang Hai also suffered a thigh injury in the opening match of the group stage against Laos but could not return immediately in the next match. When joining Pau FC in the 2022-2023 season, the midfielder from Hanoi also suffered an injury that forced him to rest for a month.
In 2023, Quang Hai only played 25 matches in all competitions with 1,879 minutes - an average of 75 minutes per match, and had one goal and two assists. The 26-year-old midfielder's performance was not evaluated as in the period before 2021.
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