"In this tournament, I think the team was unlucky to play against Japan and Iraq. This was a difficult group. But in the end, I think the team left the tournament with a good image, a positive image ," coach Philippe Troussier shared in a press conference after the match between the Vietnamese team and the Iraqi team.
The Vietnamese team entered the final match with high determination despite being certain to be eliminated after two losses. Coach Troussier's students played well in the first half and led Iraq 1-0 thanks to a goal by Bui Hoang Viet Anh. However, the Vietnamese team was at a disadvantage when Khuat Van Khang was sent off.
Vietnam 2-3 India.
In the second half, the Vietnamese team played with one less player and could not stand firm against their opponents. They conceded two goals before equalizing thanks to Quang Hai. Right in the last minute of extra time, the Iraqi team scored the final goal from the penalty spot to make it 3-2. Mr. Troussier did not criticize the players as they showed good spirit and played well when they had all their players.
"I asked the players to fight with all their might for the country and continue to follow their philosophy. Today, they did. I am satisfied because the team was not expected to play Iraq. I am satisfied with the performance and efforts of the players," said the French coach.
In this match, Van Khang received 2 yellow cards in the first 45 minutes and was sent off. Coach Troussier respected the referees' decision. According to him, Van Khang was just trying to fight for the ball and had no malicious intent. With only 10 players left on the field, it was difficult for Tuan Anh and his teammates to make a difference. The red card was what Coach Troussier regretted the most.
The Vietnamese team almost got a point against Iraq.
" From the beginning we knew this would be a difficult match. In theory, the Iraqi team is stronger than us. In my tactics, I also wanted to cause them a lot of trouble, but unfortunately the final result was not successful ," commented coach Troussier.
"Although we had no chance of advancing, our players kept the same spirit as when we played against Indonesia. We scored 2 goals and defended continuously for 1 hour with only 10 men on the field. The players really prepared very seriously for this match. Unfortunately, we lost in the last minutes, a goal that the team had to pay for their mistakes.
The Vietnamese team played very proactively in the first half. In the second half, it was much more difficult for us to play because we were short of players, but we still maintained our organization and discipline in defense. Not only that, the team always proactively sought and exploited even the smallest opportunities to score more goals."
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Mai Phuong
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