Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong: "I rationally chose the Jordan team but..."

PV: How do you rate the chances of Vietnam winning against Jordan?

Objectively speaking, the Jordanian team is better than our team in many aspects. The most obvious advantage of the opposing team's players compared to Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates is their physical strength and physique. The Jordanian team may not be rated as highly by experts as the Iranian and Iraqi teams, but compared to the Vietnamese team, they are still a step above. I think the chance of winning for Coach Park Hang-seo and his team in the upcoming match is quite small.

PV: Does the Vietnamese team not have any advantage over the Jordanian team?

Coach Nguyen Thanh Cong. Photo: Tu Pham

In terms of pure expertise, no, but in terms of spirit, yes. Vietnamese football has just created miracles at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, the 18th Asian Games and the 2018 AFF Cup. That is the basis for our players to have great confidence before entering the match with the Jordanian team. In addition, the fact that the Vietnamese team "squeezed through the narrow door" to be present in the round of 16 is also a dose of doping to encourage the fighting spirit of Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates. In football, spirit is one of the important factors to create victory.

Jordan defeated Australia in the opening match. Photo: AFC

PV: In the two matches against Jordan in the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers, our team did not lose to them (both matches were draws). So why do you think that our team's chances of winning in the upcoming match are quite small?

I only care about the present. Just look at the journey to the round of 16 of the Jordan team. They topped the group with the presence of the Asian Cup champion - Australia, Syria and Palestine. The way they defeated Australia (won 1-0 in the opening match - PV) and Syria (won 2-0 in the second match - PV), enough to see how formidable the Jordan team is. Defeating them at this point is extremely difficult for any team, not just the Vietnam team.

PV: Will the return of central defender Do Duy Manh help the Vietnam National Team much, sir?

Of course. Do Duy Manh has been a very important player for Coach Park Hang-seo since the 2018 AFC U23 Championship. The presence of the Hanoi central defender will help the defense of the Vietnam National Team become more solid. In addition to his professional ability, Do Duy Manh also plays a very good role in encouraging the fighting spirit of his teammates. This is clearly a very necessary return for Coach Park Hang-seo's team.

Center-back Do Duy Manh has completed his suspension. Photo: Vietnamnet.vn

PV: But in this tournament, Do Duy Manh was the one who made the most mistakes in the defense of the Vietnam Team. The evidence is in the equalizer 1-1 of the Iraq Team and the goal to increase the score to 2-0 of the Iran Team.

Against stronger, more classy teams like Iraq and Iran, making mistakes is completely normal. We cannot put all the blame on Do Duy Manh, because doing so is unfair and not objective. Whatever is said, Do Duy Manh's importance to the Vietnam National Team is still extremely great. Certainly, Coach Park Hang-seo still has absolute trust in Do Duy Manh.

PV: Can you predict the result of the match between Vietnam and Jordan?

Reason chooses Jordan Team, but heart chooses Vietnam Team. Hopefully, a surprise in football will happen in the upcoming match and Coach Park Hang-seo and his team will continue to create miracles.

Thank you for this conversation!

Asian Cup 2019: The fate of Vietnam and Jordan

(Baonghean.vn) - The two fated opponents Vietnam and Jordan meet again in the round of 16. Both teams have succeeded when being considered the "underdogs", even Jordan is considered the "dark horse" of the tournament. This is the match with the hardest score prediction in the round of 16, simply because they have too many similarities.