Midfielder Chau Ngoc Quang: 'Vietnam team is ready to face Malaysia's naturalized players'

On the afternoon of June 8, the Vietnamese team had a training session at UM Arena, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), continuing the preparation process for the match against the host team Malaysia in the second qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup. Before the training session, midfielder Chau Ngoc Quang shared with the media.

When asked about what reminders or instructions Coach Kim Sang-sik had given regarding the naturalized Malaysian players, Chau Ngoc Quang said: “Coach Kim has thoroughly informed the whole team about the special qualities of the naturalized Malaysian players. These are all players with very high physical strength and professional quality, so the whole team has prepared carefully to be ready to confront.”

When asked about Malaysia's restrictions on press coverage, making tactical information more difficult to access, Quang shared: "We can still study video footage from their previous matches. The coaching staff has also made specific preparations and analyzed carefully to have effective countermeasures."

Regarding the integration of Vietnamese-American defender Cao Pendant Quang Vinh, Chau Ngoc Quang commented: "Vinh is actually a new player, but the process of living and training with the team has shown that he is a very cheerful, sociable person and is integrating very well. In some training sessions, the coaching staff arranged for me to play with Quang Vinh to increase the connection."

Responding to a question about studying naturalized Malaysian players, Chau Ngoc Quang said: “As shared, coach Kim and tactical analysis experts have helped us understand our opponents better. Each player in the team will be assigned specific tasks to respond to situations in the match. However, regarding specific tactical exercises, I would like to not share."

Regarding the team's readiness with only two days left for the match, the midfielder affirmed: "Since the training session, the whole team has always been ready. The team's mentality is very comfortable, and professionalism is clearly demonstrated in each training session."

Finally, talking about the feeling of competing under the pressure of more than 80,000 spectators at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Chau Ngoc Quang expressed confidence: "There will definitely be pressure, but it is only a small pressure. If I can stay focused, the cheers of the audience will not affect the team's fighting spirit much."