Center back Que Ngoc Hai - the class of a leader

When Trong Hoang is not playing, the captainQue Ngoc Haiis the person with the most seniority in the national team and was assigned by Mr. Park to wear the captain's armband. In this match, goalkeeper Van Lam did not play, so the central role of the defense of this Nghe An central defender was extremely important. He had to inspire his teammates and encourage goalkeeper Tan Truong to stay mentally strong in the goal.

Soft overcomes hard

When the team from the archipelago chose a close, violent style of play to limit the ball possession tactics and technical passing of the Vietnamese players, the leadership role of Que Ngoc Hai was very important. This number 3 center-back continuously appeared at hot spots, knowing how to put the necessary pressure on referee Ahmad Al Ali when the opponent played.

Tactical diagram of the two teams at Ai Maktoum Stadium. Photo: Livescore

The captain of the Vietnamese team was always by Tuan Anh, Quang Hai, Hong Duy's side in the situations where they had to lie down due to the style of play that was identical to that of pencak silat fighters of A.Irianto, P.Arhan and many other Indonesian players. We also "tit for tat", showing that we were not inferior to the opponent, but the way we tackled the ball was considered to be much softer and more technical. Coach Park's intention was to use "softness to overcome hardness", using technique to control the violent style of play, then Quang Hai, Tuan Anh and Que Ngoc Hai were the players assigned to block the middle lane.

Leadership qualities

The Vietnamese team's style of play exhausted the players from the archipelago, considered to be young, strong and with the best physical foundation in Southeast Asia. The opponent only had 29% possession of the ball but committed 16 fouls and received 5 yellow cards, while the Vietnamese players had 71% possession but only committed 10 fouls and received 2 yellow cards. There were many situations where the opponent players, out of frustration, dropped the ball and were penalized by referee Ahmad Al Ali, showing the strange nature of our players, in which Que Ngoc Hai played the leading role.

With the spirit of having nothing to lose, Coach Shin Tae-Yong played with a 4-1-2-3 formation with the intention of using offense to make up for defense. Not only did Que Ngoc Hai successfully neutralize striker Yudu, forcing Coach Shin to replace this striker, but he also provided great support to his teammates Duy Manh and Tien Dung. Many times, Que Ngoc Hai also appeared on the Indonesian side to launch attacks. This new tactic on Ai Maktoum Stadium proved how much Coach Park trusted this Nghe An player.

Although he did not score, captain Que Ngoc Hai was definitely rated as one of the most impressive players of the match. Photo: VFF

In addition, long passes that landed behind the opponent's defenders helped Van Duc and Van Toan have speed races with the opponent's defenders. This tactic made midfielder Dimas, the most experienced player on the Indonesian side, not dare to risk going up.

When the team scored, Que Ngoc Hai was the stopper, handling the midfield's back passes. His mobility across the pitch prevented the Indonesian players from finding a way into goalkeeper Tan Truong's goal, despite losing 4-0. The only dangerous situation for the Indonesian players on Ai Maktoum Stadium in 90 minutes was a long-range shot that hit the crossbar, showing how brave and solid the Vietnamese defense was.

Although he did not score, captain Que Ngoc Hai is still considered one of the most impressive players. He has affirmed his leadership qualities in the Vietnamese team./.