Vietnam team lost to Japan team by a narrow margin

In this match, the number of spectators allowed into My Dinh Stadium was only about 30% of the stadium's capacity. However, this was a great source of mental motivation for the Vietnamese players to be able to play resiliently against the top Asian team.Japan.

In this match, only 2 players of Nghe origin were allowed to enter the starting lineup, which were the captain.Que Ngoc Haiand strikerCong Phuong.

Facing the strong attack of the Samurai Blue, the captain of the Vietnamese team tried to command the defense to play calmly, calmly, not getting caught up in the opponent's play, thus limiting many of Japan's attacks. Although losing with a score of 0-1, most fans still highly appreciated the performance of the red shirt team's defense.

Under the command of captain Que Ngoc Hai, the Vietnamese defense had a match that the audience could accept. Photo: Hai Hoang

As for Cong Phuong, this was the second consecutive match that he was on the field from the start in the third qualifying round of the World Cup, replacing Van Duc. With his skillful dribbling, he also created difficulties for the defense led by captain Tomiyasu. However, it was not strong enough, not surprising enough to be able to score a goal.

Cong Phuong is taken care of quite carefully. Photo: Hai Hoang

Van Duc was brought on in the second half to replace Tuan Anh but once again he did not make much of a difference. This is understandable for Van Duc because he was facing players with transfer values ​​many times higher than Vietnamese players.

With many players playing for top European clubs in their squad, right after the opening whistle, the Blue Samurai flooded into the Vietnamese team's field.

The Japanese team's two wings are very strong. That was shown right from the start of the match. The opponent's first attack started from the right wing, the ball was then passed back to the center but fortunately Duy Manh was able to successfully clear it.

The formation of the Vietnamese team in this match is still the same as usual, 5-3-2. With this formation, Mr. Park did not hide his defensive counter-attacking style of play. The Vietnamese team plays defensively with a large number of players at home, but Japan is a team with players with very good technical qualities, so the left wing of the Vietnamese team is under terrible pressure from the opponent.

Immediately after that, the Vietnamese team had a lightning counter-attack. Striker Tien Linh took possession of the ball and went straight into the opponent's center and fired a shot from outside the penalty area, but failed to pose any danger to goalkeeper Gonda.

Hoang Duc is an impressive player on the Vietnamese team. Photo: Hai Hoang

But Japan showed their class in the 17th minute of the match. From an attack on the left wing, the ball was crossed inside for Ito, who easily pierced Tan Truong's net. The score was opened for the Japanese players.

After conceding an early goal, the Vietnamese team tried to push up their formation, but the efforts of Hoang Duc, Cong Phuong and Quang Hai did not make it difficult for the defense led by experienced center back Tomiyasu.

Having scored first, Japan played quite leisurely, they did not speed up the attack, but still posed many dangers to the red team's defense. The Vietnamese players' ability to run in different positions was not diverse, so it was very difficult for the midfield to find space to pass the ball to their teammates.

Despite conceding an early goal, the audience still cheered enthusiastically in the stands, which raised the spirit of Mr. Park's students. The red team tried to play close, diligently following to reduce the pressure on Tan Truong's goal. And many times in the first half, the Vietnamese team tried to organize attacks, although they did not create much danger, but still brought emotions to the fans at My Dinh Stadium.

When the Vietnamese team was trying to put pressure on the opponent, from a counter-attack on the left wing of Japan, Ito dribbled the ball past Duy Manh and fired a powerful shot between the crossbar and the post, leaving Tan Truong helpless. But after consulting VAR, the referee determined that the ball had lightly touched one of Ito's teammates in an offside position and the goal was not recognized. After the previous times VAR turned its back on the Vietnamese team, this time VAR brought luck to Mr. Park's students.

In the second half, Phan Van Duc was brought in to replace Tuan Anh. In the past matches of the Vietnam team in the third qualifying round, Duc Cot did not have good form, so he was not in the starting lineup in the matches against Oman and Japan.

The Blue Samurai have many attacking options, combining attacks on both wings and in the middle. Playing like that, combined with the good mobility of the strikers, makes the Vietnamese defense confused. The moves of the Japanese strikers are not complicated but bring high efficiency, which shows the superior class of the top team in Asia.

After scoring, Japan maintained their ability to control the ball. Photo: Hai Hoang

Van Toan was brought on to replace Cong Phuong when the second half had passed nearly half the playing time. Coach Park expected him to create a new wind in the attacks of the Vietnamese team. However, Japan played a high pressing game, so the ball did not have many opportunities for the HAGL club striker to show his ability.

At the end of the second half, the Japanese team put a lot of pressure on the penalty area of ​​the Vietnamese team. But by playing aggressively, captain Que Ngoc Hai blocked many clear opportunities of the opponent. The Vietnamese team also had quite clear opportunities in the extra minutes of the match. Thanh Trung passed the ball back to Xuan Truong, the midfielder wearing shirt number 6 was in an open position, less than 20m from the goal, but his inside shot sent the ball far away, bringing many regrets to the home team's fans.

The match ended with only one goal scored for Japan. So, halfway through the third qualifying round of the World Cup, Coach Park's students still have not scored any points. That brings a little sadness to the fans of the Vietnamese team, but it must be said that the opponents of the red team in Group B are very strong, so we also need to sympathize with Coach Park Hang-seo and his students.

Starting lineup

Vietnam (red shirt):Tan Truong - Van Thanh, Duy Manh, Ngoc Hai, Tien Dung, Hong Duy - Quang Hai, Tuan Anh, Hoang Duc, Cong Phuong - Tien Linh.

Japan (blue shirt):Gonda - Yamane, Yoshida, Tomiyasu, Nagatomo - Morita, Endo, Tanaka - Ito, Osako, Minamino.