Coach Philippe Troussier: 'The victory over the Philippines strengthens the spirit of the Vietnamese team when returning to My Dinh Stadium'

Defeating the Philippines 2-0 thanks to goals from Van Toan and Dinh Bac, the Vietnam team had a favorable start in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia.

Commenting on the match, coach Philippe Troussier said: “I appreciate today’s victory. This was not an easy match. Considering the number of chances throughout the match, the Vietnamese team could have ended the game earlier by scoring a second goal. But we couldn’t do it and had to endure a lot of pressure, made defensive errors and allowed the opponent to score.

Overall, I am satisfied with the players' determination, discipline and adherence to tactics. Our pre-match strategy was to control the ball, take advantage of space and make reasonable decisions. This is an important victory after a long preparation process. Only after experiencing pressure like today's match can we see the meaning of training. On November 21, the Vietnam team will have an even more important match, which is against Iraq. This victory strengthens the team's spirit before returning to My Dinh Stadium."

Despite winning 2-0, the Vietnamese team encountered many difficulties, especially in the second half. Coach Philippe Troussier said: "Based on the situation, the Vietnamese team received a lot of pressure at the end of the second half, when the score was only 1-0. The pressure on the players to both win and preserve the score was greater. When deploying the ball, there was a certain pressure directed upwards and the defense revealed errors.

The Philippines created dangerous chances in the second half. We were lucky, if they had equalized, we don't know what the final score would have been. We could have increased the gap earlier but we couldn't do it."

Regarding having to play on artificial turf, the French coach said: "It is true that it is not easy for any visiting team to come here. I congratulate the team on their victory, appreciate their determination until the end of the match, keeping the net and winning today."

In the second half, after entering the field, young player Dinh Bac played well and scored a beautiful goal to make it 2-0 for the Vietnamese team. Talking about his students' celebration, Mr. Troussier happily shared: "I am very emotional about this moment! I don't know how to explain it. However, to win, we put a lot of effort into the match. I put a lot of pressure on the players every time we practice. The players try to show determination at all times.

Dinh Bac ran towards me after scoring. I believe that was an act of recognition from Bac for me, and other players too. Everything that is moving towards requires emotion. We need it to be more determined in our goals. I am always as direct as possible, from the outside, many people do not understand, do not know the whole picture of what I share with the players."

"Dinh Bac scored in his first official match. He is a potential player, with this proud achievement, I believe it will help him mature more in the future," coach Philippe Troussier concluded./.