Coach Troussier: 'I have no regrets because the Vietnamese team tried their best'

The Vietnamese team lost to Indonesia with a score of 0-1, and officially lost the chance to continue in the 2023 Asian Cup.
After the match, coach Troussier shared with the media: "I am disappointed with this defeat. Today's result makes it almost impossible for the team to continue. After all, there is still the last match, the whole team still has to fight for the goal of 3 points. We are not allowed to give up but have to fight in every situation. I am satisfied with the second half, especially the spirit. The players fought, even though the opponent scored in an 11m situation. In fact, my players tried hard to find a goal. The whole team also played hard in counter-attack situations, so that the defense remained balanced. Although losing the match, some players performed well, exceeding the limit. This is the point that I noted".

The French strategist believes that Indonesia is now stronger than before: "Indonesia today is different from the Indonesia we faced in the AFF Cup or SEA Games in the past. Obviously, this is a difficult match. Indonesia has a better quality squad. They have added players from Europe. Today's match is clearly more difficult than before. This is a good match, a quality match. The result was decided by a penalty situation, a small mistake in the penalty area that affected the team."

The captain of the Vietnamese team said he was still proud of his players' performance: "Even though we lost the match, I am still proud of my players' performance. The players showed a very strong fighting spirit, trying 100% until the last second. For me, they kept the faith. In football, there are always winners and losers, but when you have tried your best, there is nothing to regret or bow your head. I am ready to lose the match, I do not regret the result, we tried our best against a strong opponent."

Talking about the foul that led to Thanh Binh's loss, Mr. Troussiern said that Thanh Binh had surpassed his limits:

"To talk about the defenders including Thanh Binh and Viet Anh. During halftime, I discussed with them how to intercept attacking situations. Obviously, in the second half, they intercepted much better.

After the match, I had a private talk with Binh. In the second half, Binh dared to play and confront. He surpassed his own limits. Binh is professional but always a bit shy and timid. I don't blame Binh and Viet Anh, they played well almost the whole match. Football has errors. I am always proud of the players. Even though we lost, we did not give up, always trying until the last second."

Talking about the upcoming plans of the Vietnamese team, coach Troussier shared: ''There are some points we need to improve. Firstly, physical strength to be able to maintain high intensity throughout the match. Currently, we can only do that for about 60 - 70 minutes, but at the end of the match, it seems we cannot maintain it. My playing style requires high intensity, even without the ball, we have to move, so each match a player runs an average of 8 - 9 to 10km. To motivate the players, the domestic tournament must also be improved, because all of our players are playing domestically.''

"In today's match, players from both sides collided continuously. We tried to have a plan to reduce collisions to avoid losing strength. Vietnamese players need to aim to improve their skills and physical strength," coach Troussier concluded./.