5 highlights in the intense match between Vietnam and Yemen

1. Yemen played proactive defense in the first half

Mr. Jan Kocian clearly studied the playing style of the Vietnamese national team very carefully. He let his players play proactive defense, closely following the team throughout the first 45 minutes. This made it difficult for Mr. Park Hang-seo's team to approach the opponent's goal in the first half.

The ball was almost concentrated in the middle of the field in the first half. Photo: AFC

Statistics show that Yemen controlled the ball 39.4%, much lower than Vietnam's 60.6%. However, this number only clearly reflected in the first half of the match when the ball appeared mainly in the middle of the field. Vietnam continuously organized attacks, while Yemen blocked almost all routes, not allowing Vietnam's strikers to approach the goal.

2. Fiery attack in the second half

Yemen had to fight back strongly in the second half to find an equalizer. As for Vietnam, we had to try to score as many goals as possible. That is why the second half witnessed a fierce attack between the two weakest teams in Group D.

Vietnam still focused on using high-speed central combinations. As for Yemen, they focused on attacking from the right wing.

The heat map shows that the ball is no longer concentrated in the middle of the field like in the first half. Photo: AFC

3. The Shining of the Stars

In the 38th minute, Quang Hai had a classy free kick to open the score for Vietnam. The goal seemed to relieve all pressure on Vietnam. Yemen had to give up their deep defensive play.

In the second half, Yemen players continuously attacked in the hope of finding an equalizer.

Quang Hai shone at the right time with a superb free kick. Photo: AFC

Because of that, Yemen has begun to reveal certain gaps in its defense.

In the 63rd minute, Phan Van Duc received a pass from his teammate after an extremely smart run. The situation was extremely dangerous, forcing the Yemen defender to commit a foul and receive a penalty. Captain Que Ngoc Hai made no mistake in successfully converting the penalty kick to raise the score to 2-0 for the Vietnam team.

4. Xuan Truong continues to disappoint

Forced to play an attacking game, Coach Park Hang-seo decided to give the opportunity to play as a starter for midfielder Luong Xuan Truong. However, facing an opponent with extremely high pressure, Truong “hip” was unable to fully utilize his creative ability.

Xuan Truong continued to play unsuccessfully and was substituted in the 53rd minute of the match. Photo: AFC

Tien Linh replaced Xuan Truong, which meant Quang Hai took over the position left by the HAGL midfielder. From then on, the midfield organization of the Vietnam national team became faster. As a result, the Yemen defender had to foul Van Duc in the penalty area, leading to a penalty.

5. Que Ngoc Hai scored his second goal under Mr. Park

The central defender from Nghe An has scored two goals since being called up to the national team by the Korean coach.

Que Ngoc Hai’s two goals were both successful penalty kicks. The last time was against the Philippines in a friendly match to prepare for the 2019 Asian Cup.

Que Ngoc Hai scored his second goal under Mr. Park. Photo: AFC

Scoring against Yemen was even more meaningful for Que Ngoc Hai. This was the first time Hai scored in an official international tournament under Park Hang-seo.

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