After a crushing defeat to Vietnam, the Cambodian coach was completely convinced of his team's loss.

(Baonghean.vn) - Speaking at the post-match press conference, Vietnam national team coach Leonardo Vitorino admitted that the Cambodian players' skill level was not as high as that of the home team.

Cambodia's coach Leonardo Vitorino believes that Vietnamese players are far superior to Cambodians: “I am not happy with the referee, especially regarding the second goal conceded. The second half was a disaster for us. I will work with the Cambodian Football Federation to improve the situation in the future. I was impressed with the midfield, especially Xuan Truong. I instructed the Cambodian players to closely mark him. Cambodian football has made some progress but still needs more time to develop. I advocate using a 3-4-3 formation; I am not satisfied with the defensive line, and no matter how good the players' qualities and techniques are, they need a solid foundation in a national league like Vietnam's.”

Meanwhile, coach Mai Duc Chung affirmed that Vietnam's victory was very convincing. “On behalf of the players, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the fans who braved the rain to come to the stadium. I also thank the players for playing a very excellent match despite the heavy rain. Obviously, the rain did affect the tactics and techniques. Compared to the previous match, we won very convincingly. The opposing coach was also impressed by our victory. The whole team played with very high spirits and followed the coaching staff's strategy of not playing long balls. Although in a short time, the players have overcome many problems, from the psychological aspect after the SEA Games to their physical condition,” Mai Duc Chung shared.

Returning to the main events of the match, in the 12th minute, Dinh Thanh Trung opened the scoring for the Vietnamese national team in a rather fortunate manner when his shot from outside the 16.5-meter box deflected off an opposing defender's leg, changing direction and leaving goalkeeper Yaty unable to make the save.

The Vietnamese national team's attack completely dominated Cambodia in the rematch. Photo: CTV

For the remainder of the first half, Thanh Trung, Cong Phuong, and Anh Duc repeatedly missed clear-cut opportunities. Even Cong Phuong and Van Hau had a rather unlucky first half before the goal. Coach Mai Duc Chung's players had to settle for a one-goal lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Vietnamese attack capitalized on opportunities in the 56th and 60th minutes. For the second goal, Van Quyet headed the ball accurately past the Cambodian goalkeeper from a perfect pass by Dinh Thanh Trung. Thanh Trung then provided the assist, and this time Anh Duc scored with a close-range tap-in to make it 3-0.

Midfielder Dinh Thanh Trung had an outstanding game with a series of "killer" passes on his return to the national team - Photo: CTV

In the 76th minute, from a run from midfield, Cong Phuong combined with Van Quyet before unleashing a powerful shot to increase Vietnam's lead to 4-0. Cambodia had nothing left to lose, and Vietnam had secured the victory. The two teams exchanged attacks, and the visitors had a chance to reduce the deficit in the 87th minute. If it weren't for the post, Tuan Manh would have had to pick the ball out of the net from Chanthacheary's direct free kick outside the 16-yard box.

Finally, in the second minute of added time, striker Mac Hong Quan paid tribute to his coach with the fifth goal for the Vietnamese national team. The Than Quang Ninh player displayed a skillful move before sealing the 5-0 victory.

With this result, the Vietnamese national team only needs a draw against Afghanistan in their next match to officially secure a place in the 2019 Asian Cup finals. In the other match, Afghanistan and Jordan drew 3-3, meaning Vietnam is tied on points with the group leader Jordan and ranks second in Group C.

Trung Kien