Jordan's national team coach admits to making many mistakes against Vietnam.
Coach Jamal Abu Abed was not entirely satisfied with Jordan's 1-1 draw against Vietnam in the final match of the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers on the evening of March 27th.
This result does not affect the rankings of the two teams. Jordan leads the group with 12 points, while Vietnam is 2 points behind. Both teams will participate in the 2019 Asian Cup Finals and are likely to be in groups 3 or 4.
“We weren’t able to play the way we wanted in the first half. Jordan were one goal down and made many individual mistakes. It wasn’t until the second half that we really played effectively, creating more chances and scoring a late equalizer,” the Jordan coach said after the match.
Despite being the underdog, Vietnam surprisingly dominated Jordan in the first half. Nguyen Anh Duc put the visitors ahead. Shortly after, Cong Phuong's shot hit the crossbar. The forced departure of goalkeeper Dang Van Lam due to injury did not significantly affect the excellent game created by coach Park Hang-seo.
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| Cong Phuong had a shot that hit the crossbar in the first half, when Vietnam was creating more chances than Jordan. |
However, in the second half, the Jordan coach made very sensible personnel changes and put comprehensive pressure on the Vietnamese team. Midfielder Abu Amara equalized 1-1 for his team in the 71st minute with a dangerous long-range shot. Later, the same player's shot hit Tuan Manh's leg in a one-on-one situation. The Khanh Hoa goalkeeper deserved to be the hero for the Vietnamese team with another spectacular save after Al Laham's header bounced off the ground.
“Jordan missed many scoring opportunities in this match. The numerous player injuries significantly affected our preparation for this game. We are looking forward to the draw for the 2019 Asian Cup group stage and believe that the squad will be more complete and stable to aim for a good result in the continental tournament,” emphasized coach Abu Abed.
Prior to the match against Vietnam, the Jordan Football Association (JFA) planned friendly matches for the national team against quality teams to improve their skills. Since the beginning of 2018, the West Asian team has played against Denmark and Kuwait. Upcoming matches include China (May 26th), Albania (October 10th), and Croatia – currently ranked 15th in the world – to best prepare for the continent's top tournament next year.
Que Ngoc Hai made an impressive return, Vietnam national team drew with Jordan.
(Baonghean.vn) - Despite taking the lead through Anh Duc, engaging in a back-and-forth battle for the remainder of the match, and conceding a goal, the Vietnamese national team still managed to secure a point from their trip to Jordan.
