Yemen's coach is unconvinced; Coach Park reveals the secret to victory.

The German coach believes that referee Ahmed Al-Kaf's decision to award Vietnam the free kick that led to the opening goal (scored by Quang Hai) was incorrect.

Vietnam convincingly defeated Yemen. Photo: AFC

"Today, I decided to change tactics compared to the previous two matches by playing with a five-defender formation. In fact, this system worked very well; the players played tightly and Vietnam had no opportunities to threaten the goal. Ironically, Yemen conceded a goal from a free kick. I believe my players did not commit any fouls. Vietnam could only score thanks to the referee."

Assessing Yemen's performance, the 60-year-old strategist said his players had shown significant improvement compared to their two defeats against Iran and Iraq: "Things would have been easier if the score had been 0-0 in the first half. In the second half, they played better and attacked strongly. The change of goalkeeper was unavoidable because Al Sowadi (the number one goalkeeper) suffered an injury before the match."

Coach Jan Kocian. Photo: VOV

Yemen is participating in the Asian Cup with a squad consisting of many young, inexperienced players. Nevertheless, I still have high expectations for the development of football in this country."

Coach Jan Kocian also praised Vietnam and expressed his hope that Coach Park Hang-seo's team would qualify for the Round of 16. Currently, Vietnam (3 points, goal difference -1) has risen to third place among the best-performing third-placed teams and has a strong chance of advancing. "Vietnam is a strong team. Although the outcome is still unclear, I wish you all the best in securing a place in the Round of 16 of the Asian Cup."

Meanwhile, coach Park Hang-seo opened the press conference with an optimistic spirit. "Today the whole team played the last match of the group stage. Both teams had good performances to earn wins and advance to the next round. I want to praise the players. They played with high concentration. I am extremely grateful that the whole team played so well today."

Coach Park Hang-seo. Photo: ST

Despite the victory, coach Park Hang-seo expressed regret that the Vietnamese team had not yet officially qualified for the round of 16. "If we had scored one more goal, we would have been guaranteed to advance from the group stage. So now we have to wait for the results in the other groups."

When asked about tactics in the final minutes of the match, coach Park Hang-seo suggested that Văn Đức and Công Phượng pushing forward would be more effective, while Quang Hải would be positioned further back. This would help the Vietnamese attack create more space.

Commenting on the overall match, the South Korean coach said: "The players felt a little pressure because of the task of winning all three points. I asked the players to stay calm and maintain the tempo on the field. After the first half, things became more difficult when Yemen switched from a three-center-back formation to a four-defender formation. Yemen played more focused in the second half. Even so, I can still be satisfied because the players did what was asked of them."

Commenting on Quang Hai's spectacular free-kick, Coach Park Hang-seo said: "In previous matches, Quang Hai didn't handle his opportunities well. However, I encouraged him to be confident and that he would score. Today, Quang Hai did it, so I am very proud."