President of Japan Football Federation warns about the strength of Vietnam National Team
"Vietnam defeated Jordan, the team that defeated defending champions Australia in the group stage. We cannot take that lightly."
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Quang Hai scored the only goal, helping the Vietnamese Olympic team defeat Japan in the group stage of the Asian Games on August 19, 2018. Photo:Lam Thoa |
"Vietnam is a team full of energy and fighting spirit," President Tashima Kozo told Japanese media. "Vietnam defeated Jordan, the team that defeated defending champions Australia in the group stage. We cannot take that lightly."
Vietnam qualified for the round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams in the group stage. However, in the round of 16, Park Hang-seo's team surprisingly outplayed Jordan - the first team to qualify with an unbeaten record - and won 4-2 in the penalty shootout.
"Vietnam is not an easy opponent to play against. They have a good defense, and can switch between attack and defense quickly. In particular, they have coach Park Hang-seo - a coach with special abilities, many skills and a lot of experience," commented coach Hajime Morijasu.
Morijasu faced Park Hang-seo in the 2018 Asiad group stage and lost 0-1. In that match, Vietnam used a strong squad despite already having a ticket to the next round. Coach Park later received a lot of criticism when important player in the midfield Hung Dung broke his toe in that match and had to sit out the rest of the tournament. However, the Korean coach had his own reasons: "Vietnam has never won against Japan in an official match. I used the strongest force, determined to win to change that. When we meet Japan again in the future, the players' mentality will be different."