Vietnam has a good chance of advancing to the round of 16.
(Baonghean.vn) - Group B has concluded almost exactly as millions of Vietnamese fans hoped, as the two teams that could have competed for a wildcard spot with Coach Park Hang Seo's team did not achieve the desired results.
On January 15th, Syria lost 2-3 to Australia in the final minutes, while Palestine drew 0-0 with Jordan. Thus, Jordan and Australia advanced, while Syria dropped to last place in the group and was certainly eliminated.
Meanwhile, Palestine, who finished third in Group B, has 2 points – a less than optimistic result in terms of competing for a wildcard spot in the knockout round.
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Coach Park Hang-seo and his team are hoping to be among the top four third-placed teams with the best records in the group stage. (Graphic)Minh Phuc. |
This result is a significant advantage for the Vietnamese team. With only 3 qualifying spots remaining, Palestine's 2 points open to widen the door to qualification for Coach Park Hang-seo's team if they manage to win against Yemen.
Specifically, if they win, the Vietnamese team will eliminate one opponent, Palestine. If the matches between Kyrgyzstan - Philippines, Lebanon - North Korea, and Oman - Turkmenistan end in a draw, the 2018 AFF Cup champions will be guaranteed a place in the Round of 16.
In the worst-case scenario, if the remaining matches between Kyrgyzstan - Philippines, Lebanon - North Korea, and Oman - Turkmenistan all have winners, the Vietnamese team will have to compare goal difference with the third-placed teams in groups C, E, and F.
In addition, Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates have another advantage in the final match of the group stage: they will play later than the matches in Group C, which are Kyrgyzstan - Philippines and South Korea - China.
Once these two matches are over, Coach Park Hang-seo and his team will know by what margin they need to win against Yemen to secure a place in the top four third-placed teams.
