Shock: Vietnam pays a heavy price for victory over Japan

Hung Dung had to ask his teammates to take off his shoes to ease the pain. Photo: Duc Dong

Hung Dung was injured in a fight and limped off the field at the end of the first half. He was then taken to the ambulance for first aid before being taken to the hospital for examination. An MRI scan showed that the Vietnamese midfielder had a fractured big toe in his left foot. According to the doctor's instructions, surgery was the best option. Hung Dung is expected to be out of action for at least a month.

A source from VFF said Hung Dung will be put in a cast and brought back to Vietnam for treatment.

According to the rules, teams are not allowed to replace players during the tournament, Vietnam will lose players before the match in the round of 16.

Hung Dung is one of three players over 23 years old in Vietnam. During the process of making the list to go to Indonesia, Coach Park Hang-seo surprised everyone by removing goalkeeper Van Lam to make room for Hung Dung. Not letting down his coach's trust, Hung Dung played well. After entering the field in the second half of the opening match against Pakistan, the midfielder from Hanoi was in the starting lineup in the match against Nepal.

In the match against Japan this afternoon, Hung Dung also participated from the start, played aggressively in midfield and was often present at hot spots, contributing greatly to Vietnam's victory.

Without Hung Dung, Vietnam’s midfield only has Xuan Truong, Duc Huy, Quang Hai and Minh Vuong. However, Coach Park Hang-seo will have a hard time choosing personnel because the above midfielders tend to play offensively and technically, but are not strong in competition.