“Vietnam's Deal with Iraq Is a Warning to Iran”
(Baonghean.vn) - On the afternoon of January 11, speaking to the press before the match, Coach Carlos Queiroz was cautious when facing the Vietnamese team even though Iran was rated higher. He has nearly 10 years of experience leading the Iranian team and recently had an impressive performance with his students at the 2018 World Cup.
In the pre-match press conference, coach Carlos Queiroz said: "In the second match of the group stage against a great opponent like Vietnam, I know this is a difficult match. All the players are ready to fight and play a good match for the team. All are ready to become the best team on the field."
"We know everyone wants to win, your expectations, but the other side is a strong team, with quality players. They also have ambitions and goals like us. What they showed in the last match shows that they are not an easy team to bully."
Coach Queiroz also confirmed that the Iranian team is very focused on the match at 6 p.m. on January 12. "We are ready to face the Vietnamese team tomorrow. We really do not expect Vietnam to play like in the opening match against Iraq, but Iran is ready both physically and mentally. We are completely focused on this match. As I said, Iran will prepare for each match at the Asian Cup with high concentration. And this time it is the match against Vietnam."
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| The Vietnam national team has caused many difficulties for Iraq. Photo: AFC |
When asked if people are expecting Iran to beat Vietnam like they did against Yemen, coach Carlos Queiroz thinks "Team Meli" has the ability to repeat that scenario, the former Real Madrid head coach emphasized: "Football is different from watching a movie in the cinema. Everyone has to fight with each other to win. We know what we need to do to get a good result, but so do our opponents. And each match will be a different opponent. They also have fans and families behind them to cheer them on."
Mr. Queiroz also admitted: "As I saw in the first match, Vietnam has a good, experienced coaching team. The players play with all their heart and discipline. From October 2018 until now, they have played 13 matches, including 5 matches in December alone. The Vietnam team really fought on the field to win. They take the Asian Cup very seriously and we know this will be a difficult match."
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| Iran is considered the strongest in Group D. Photo: AFC |
Answering the question of whether Iran thought about scoring many goals against Vietnam, Mr. Queiroz said: "Iran is not an arrogant team. Team Meli is a group of humble players. As head coach, I always give principles to the players. Iran always respects and does not look down on the opponent. We always think that the opponent also wants to play football, Vietnam is a similar case. And so Iran has full respect for Vietnam."
The Portuguese coach also admitted that he had watched carefully the match between Vietnam and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at My Dinh (1-1 draw) and the opening match of the Asian Cup against Iraq (2-3 loss). "Vietnam played very positively with discipline and high concentration and led Iraq twice. A draw against Iraq would have been a fairer result," said coach Queiroz.
The Portuguese coach was not surprised by the head coach of the Vietnam national team, Park Hang-seo, "The coach of the Vietnam national team is very good, he worked with Guus Hiddink in the past. The way Vietnam faced Iraq is a warning to Iran. Those are my opinions with all respect about the Vietnam national team with its amazing progress in the past two years."
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| Coach Carlos Queiroz shows respect for the Vietnam national team. Photo: AFC |
Regarding the rumors that he will move to lead the Colombian national team in the future, Coach Queiroz said that this is "not the right time" to talk about this. Iran still has two matches with Vietnam and Iraq in the group stage. And the team needs to focus, and Mr. Queiroz does not want to talk about other issues.
Mr. Queiroz also admitted: "Iran's biggest problem before the Vietnam match is happening right in this room. Talking about things like that is disrespectful to the Vietnam team. The only thing of concern now is the match with Vietnam tomorrow."
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| The match between Vietnam and Iran will take place at 3:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. Vietnam time) at Al Nahyan Stadium (UAE). Photo: Zing |
History of confrontation between Vietnam and Iran: "Equally matched"
Although Iran is one of the strongest teams in the region, the history of confrontation between the two sides is not too different.
