Vietnam lost in extra time to Iraq
(Baonghean.vn) - Although considered stronger, it was not until the 95th minute of the match that Iraq scored against the Vietnamese team. The match in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia took place at My Dinh Stadium.
The match against Iraq is the first time the Vietnamese team has played at home in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia. Before that, coach Troussier and his team had an important victory in the match against the Philippines. This is also the key to help the Golden Star Warriors overcome their psychological stress to advance to the second match.
Especially in the match against Iraq, after injury treatment, Que Ngoc Hai was put on the field from the start by coach Troussier.
In the first minutes of the match, Iraq was quite cautious, only playing at a probing level, not really pushing up the formation to control the game. However, starting from the 10th minute, Iraq began to increase the tempo of attack. That is also why the number of opportunities created by the away team appeared more in front of Van Lam's goal.
In the 10th minute, Ali Adnan caused trouble for Vietnam's goal with a corner kick that sent the ball rolling straight towards the goal. Although startled, Van Lam still controlled the situation and pushed the ball back over the goal line.
Less than 5 minutes later, another dangerous opportunity appeared in front of Van Lam's goal. Tuan Tai passed the ball wrongly, but fortunately the Vietnamese goalkeeper played well, diving to catch Ali Jasim's low cross-angle shot.
More than 2/3 of the first half has passed, but the home team has not created any real dangerous opportunities in front of the opponent's goal. Meanwhile, Iraq with their superior class has created countless opportunities in front of Van Lam's goal.
In the 30th minute, the Iraqi team changed their attack with some midfield attacks and Aymen Husein had a chance to shoot. However, in a comfortable position, this player's shot was not dangerous and lacked power, so Van Lam gently dove to catch the ball.
Before the first 45 minutes ended, the Iraqi team created another dangerous situation in front of Van Lam's goal, but Jasim's cross into the box was not converted into a goal by Resan.
In the second half, the Vietnamese team played better and created many opportunities in front of the opponent's goal. In the 60th minute, Thanh Binh passed the ball over the line for Tuan Hai to head the ball past goalkeeper Hassan, but this striker was called offside.
After more than 10 minutes, Vietnam continued to have opportunities against Iraq. From the situation where Van Khang tried to dribble the ball on the left, then crossed the ball into the 5m50 area for Tuan Hai, but this striker could not head the ball because the Iraqi center back with superior physique cleared the ball first.
In the 80th minute, Vietnam created a clear opportunity in front of the opponent's goal, but could not bring the advantage to the visitors. Van Khang overlapped the left wing with Dinh Bac, allowing the 19-year-old midfielder to cross the ball to the second post for Thanh Nhan. However, this striker slipped and could not finish.
It seemed like the match would end in a draw, but in the extra minute, the Vietnamese team had to accept a bitter defeat with a goal by Mohanad Ali. Iraq's goal came from Bayesh dribbling down the right wing and then crossing. Van Lam rushed out but could not punch the ball, as Mohanad Ali rushed in first and headed it into the empty net.
At the end of the match, the Vietnamese team accepted defeat against Iraq with a score of 0-1.
On March 26, 2024, the Vietnam team will enter the third match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers to meet Indonesia.