Vietnam still hasn't got its first point after the match against Saudi Arabia.

Vietnam's strikers did not have much of the ball in this match. Photo: Hai Hoang

Only about 1/3 of the audience was allowed to enter My Dinh Stadium in this match to ensure safety during the epidemic. However, with just that small number of spectators, it was a great source of encouragement for Mr. Park and his team to be able to find the first point in the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, Asia region.

Fans at My Dinh Stadium cheered enthusiastically for the Vietnamese players. Photo: Hai Hoang

The Vietnamese team in this match had only one change compared to the match against Japan, which was the presence from the beginning of central defender Thanh Chung replacing Tien Dung.

Just like in the first leg, the Vietnamese players pushed high from the start to attack the opponent. Quang Hai had a smooth coordination with Cong Phuong on the right wing, however, the Do Luong-born player's maneuvers and breakthroughs could not defeat the opponent.

Overall, in the first few minutes, the Vietnamese team entered the game quite well. Coach Park's students boldly held the ball and coordinated in short segments, which somewhat reduced the attacking power of the Saudi Arabian players.

The absence of seven key players has somewhat affected the white team's playing style. However, their strength is still superior, so coach Park Hang-seo still maintains the defensive counter-attacking style for his students.

Cong Phuong still showed his qualities, however, Saudi Arabia's defense played very solidly so he did not create many opportunities. Photo: Hai Hoang

Mr. Park used the 5-3-2 formation, which is Vietnam's forte, and this formation brought out the agility and skill of the two central midfielders, Hoang Duc and Tuan Anh. These two midfielders escaped the pressing very well, thereby opening up sharp counterattacks.

In the middle of the first half, Quang Hai, after winning the ball from the opponent, dribbled skillfully, then fired a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but the ball missed Yami's goal.

While the Vietnamese team was playing quite well, the formation distance was guaranteed, the opponent scored the opening goal of the match. Starting from a cross on the right wing, striker Shehri headed the ball to the far corner, defeating goalkeeper Tan Truong.

The opening goal showed the class of the Saudi Arabian players. They did not play very well but their ability to take advantage of opportunities was extremely good, so the goal for Saudi Arabia was not too surprising.

With this goal, Duy Manh once again failed to defeat the strikers of Saudi Arabia. He still showed his bad luck when facing the team from West Asia.

Quang Hai still shows his role as conductor in Vietnam's attack. Photo: Hai Hoang

After scoring, Mr. Herve Renard's students continued to show their superior class. In the last minutes of the first half, Saudi Arabia controlled the ball up to 75%, they coordinated very flexibly, making our players unable to get the ball to organize a counterattack.

Overall, Vietnam tried hard in the first half, but the other team was much more classy, ​​so it was not too surprising that we lost first.

As soon as the second half started, Herve Renard's students showed their strength. A simple attack on the left wing then the ball was passed inside for the strikers to finish. But Salem Dawsari's close-range shot was pushed out by Tan Truong. Saudi Arabia's coordination was not too complicated but they had a very good technical foundation, strength, and physique, so it was difficult for the red-shirted players to take the ball from them.

Just like in the first half of the match, Saudi Arabia's ability to control the ball in the second half was up to more than 70%, thus creating a lot of trouble for Tan Truong's goal. In the middle minutes of the second half, Van Toan was sent onto the field. As soon as there was a change, Vietnam's attack line had more attacks, and the coordination also became more fluid.

While Vietnam's spirit and attacking efforts were rising, from Thanh Chung's loss of the ball in front of the penalty area, the opposing team stretched across the goal and Muwallad shot the ball into the top of goalkeeper Tan Truong's net. However, after reviewing VAR, the referee did not recognize the second goal for Saudi Arabia.

Towards the end of the match, under the encouragement of a large number of home fans, the spirit of the Golden Star Warriors was very high, the Vietnam team tried hard to attack and created many scoring opportunities. Phan Van Duc, after entering the field at the end of the second half, played very hard and created a lot of pressure on the opponent's goal.

Overall, the Vietnamese team played with great effort in this match. Coach Park's players tried to counterattack, but the number of players participating in this front was too small. If Hoang Duc or Tuan Anh had boldly approached the opponent's penalty area more, then perhaps the opportunity to create danger to the opponent's goal would have been more obvious.

But it must be affirmed that the gap in class between Saudi Arabia and the Vietnam National Team cannot be closed overnight. Therefore, another narrow defeat for Coach Park and his team is acceptable to the majority of fans.

Starting lineup:

Vietnam (red shirt):Tan Truong - Van Thanh, Duy Manh, Ngoc Hai, Thanh Chung, Hong Duy - Quang Hai, Tuan Anh, Hoang Duc - Cong Phuong, Tien Linh.

Saudi Arabia (white shirt):Yami - Burayka, Amri, Bulayhi, N Dawsari - Kanno, Malki - Muwallad, Faraj, S Dawsari –Shehri.

Duc Anh