Vietnam national team lost to Japanese student team 1-3.

On the afternoon of October 8th, the Vietnamese national team held their first training match at the J-Green Sakai training ground in Osaka, Japan, and coach Miura's team suffered a 1-3 defeat against the Japanese student team. Vu Phong scored the only goal for Vietnam.

The Vietnamese national team's lineup in the first half. Photo: VFF.org.vn

27 PLAYERS ALLOWED TO TAKE THE FIELD

In order to give all players a chance to play, Coach Miura used 27 out of 30 players for this match, as Huy Toàn, Văn Long, and Hoàng Thịnh were still injured. Accordingly, the forwards only played 30 minutes, while the remaining players played 45 minutes. In the first half, the Vietnamese national team started with what was considered their strongest lineup including goalkeeper Thanh Bình; 4 defenders Xuân Thành, Phước Tứ, Tiến Thành, Văn Hoàn; midfielders Tấn Tài, Minh Châu, Quốc Anh (Thành Lương 31'), Trọng Hoàng (8); and the striker pair Công Vinh (Văn Quyết 31'), Hải Anh (Anh Đức (31'). In the second half, the lineup included Nguyên Mạnh; Duy Khánh, Huy Cường, Văn Biển, Ngọc Hải, Minh Tâm, Huy Hùng, Thành Lương (Thanh Trung 61'), Vũ Phong, Văn Quyết (Hồng Quân 61'), Anh Đức (Minh Tuấn 61').

Despite being a student team, their opponents were very strong and comprised some of the best student footballers in Japan. Many of them even had professional contracts with J-League teams, and notably, one Japanese student player had just competed in the 17th Asian Games. Furthermore, due to over ten days of intense training, the Vietnamese players were still sluggish, allowing their opponents, with their superior physical strength, build, and ability to seize opportunities, to take a 3-goal lead, scored in three different scenarios at the 11th, 38th, and 50th minutes respectively.

SATISFIED BY… FAILURE
After the match, Coach Miura expressed satisfaction with his players' performance, despite the 1-3 defeat. The Japanese coach didn't focus on winning or losing, but rather on the lessons learned for the team. The defense also gained valuable experience, not only from the three goals conceded but also from other challenging situations. Furthermore, the attacking line of players like Cong Vinh, Hai Anh, Anh Duc, Minh Tuan, etc., was tested by an extremely disciplined, tall, and skillful defense. Above all, Coach Miura stated that "the Vietnamese national team's forwards and attacking midfielders need to change their mindset regarding ball recovery immediately after losing possession and participate more in defense. This is something the Japanese student team did very well."

Coach Miura was particularly pleased in two aspects. Firstly, the only goal scored by the Vietnamese team in the 69th minute. Mac Hong Quan bravely dispossessed the opponent and crossed the ball for Vu Phong, who came in from the wing and finished into the net. Secondly, Coach Miura was pleased that the defeat against the Japanese Student team would make each player feel frustrated and motivate them to train harder in the future. This is beneficial for the Vietnamese team's preparation for the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup.

According to the schedule, the Vietnamese national team will have their second friendly match against Vissel Kobe at 13:00 on October 11th.

According to Bongdaplus