Vietnam team to face Cambodia at AFF Cup 2016
The team from the land of pagodas is leading the preliminary round with 6 absolute points, holding 99.99% of the ticket to the group stage of AFF Cup 2016.
Defeating Brunei 3-0 in the naval battle on the evening of October 18, Cambodia has one hand on the ticket to the group stage of the AFF Cup 2016. With 6 points in hand, Cambodia only has to face the weakest team in the preliminary round, East Timor, in the final round on October 21, while Laos and Brunei (both with 3 points) face each other and do not have the right to decide for themselves.
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| Cambodia is likely to become Vietnam's opponent at AFF Cup 2016 |
If Cambodia draws or wins against East Timor in the final round, Laos and Brunei have no chance of catching up. Even if Cambodia loses to East Timor, the team from the pagoda country will still qualify for the preliminary round if one of the two opponents does not win, even if they have all 3 points but cannot equalize the goal difference (Cambodia is +4).
Once they win a ticket to the 2016 AFF Cup finals, Cambodia will end their long wait of 8 years to play at the highest level of regional football. Notably, Cambodia will become the third opponent of the Vietnamese team in the 2016 AFF Cup group stage, after coach Nguyen Huu Thang’s team has determined the two opponents in the same group, Malaysia and co-host Myanmar. According to the draw, the Vietnamese team will face the team that passed the preliminary round in the final round of the group stage on November 26.
In another development, the Vietnamese team will have their first match in Korea at 1 p.m. today (October 19) against FC Seoul, a club that has won the K-League five times. The team that defeated HN.T&T 7-0 in the AFC Champions play-off round announced that it will field its strongest squad for a friendly match with the Vietnamese team. Therefore, coach Huu Thang is confident that this is a golden opportunity for the Vietnamese team to improve their abilities when competing with a very strong opponent.
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| Cong Phuong and Tuan Anh are about to return to Can Tho Stadium in the Vietnamese national team jersey. |
The good news for coach Huu Thang is that Huy Hung and Dinh Hoang have recovered from their injuries at the same time. The duo have returned to training with their teammates, so the only injured player on the Vietnamese team is Que Ngoc Hai. However, Ngoc Hai is recovering so quickly that coach Huu Thang is surprised by the recovery ability of his compatriot's central defender.
Vietnam team plays show in Can Tho VFF General Secretary Le Hoai Anh said that VFF and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Can Tho have finalized the plan to organize the match between Vietnam and Avista Fukuoka Club (Japan) on November 12 at Can Tho Stadium. This decision is a concrete plan for bringing the team to all parts of the country, instead of only choosing Hang Day Stadium as the venue. Before Can Tho, the matches of the Vietnam team were often held at My Dinh, Hang Day (Hanoi), Thong Nhat (HCMC) or Lach Tray (Hai Phong). The Vietnam - Avista Fukuoka match is the last chance for coach Huu Thang to select the players to go to Myanmar for the AFF Cup 2016. Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong will all be present for this match. Before that, the Vietnam team will play a friendly match with Indonesia on November 8 at My Dinh. |
Khac Hoang/According to Vietnamnet
