Vietnam lost narrowly to Japan.

In this match, only about 30% of the stadium's capacity was allowed into My Dinh Stadium. However, this served as a huge source of motivation for the Vietnamese players, enabling them to play tenaciously against one of Asia's top teams.Japan.

In this match, only two players from Nghe An province were in the starting lineup: the captain.Que Ngoc Haiand forwardCong Phuong.

Facing the formidable attack of the Samurai Blue, the captain of the Vietnamese team managed to command the defense to play calmly and intelligently, avoiding being drawn into the opponent's style of play, thus limiting many of Japan's attacking opportunities. Although they lost 0-1, most fans highly praised the performance of the red-shirted team's defense.

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

For Cong Phuong, this was the second consecutive match in which he started in the third round of World Cup qualifiers, replacing Van Duc. Using his skillful dribbling, he occasionally caused difficulties for the defense led by captain Tomiyasu. However, it wasn't strong enough or surprising enough to score a goal.

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

Van Duc came on in the second half to replace Tuan Anh, but once again he failed to make much of a difference. This is understandable for Van Duc, as he was facing players whose transfer values ​​were many times higher than those of Vietnamese players.

With a squad boasting many players currently playing for top European clubs, the Samurai Blue immediately surged into Vietnam's half of the field after the opening whistle.

The Japanese team's flanks are very strong. This was evident right from the start of the match. Their first attack originated from the right wing, the ball was then passed back into the center, but luckily Duy Mạnh managed to successfully neutralize it.

The Vietnamese team's formation in this match remained the usual 5-3-2. With this formation, Coach Park did not hide his defensive counter-attacking style of play. The Vietnamese team played defensively with a large number of players in their own half, but Japan is a team with very good technical skills, so the left flank of the Vietnamese team was under tremendous pressure from the opponent.

Immediately afterwards, the Vietnamese team launched a lightning-fast counter-attack. Striker Tien Linh received the ball and drove straight into the center of the opponent's defense, unleashing a shot from outside the penalty area, but it posed no threat to goalkeeper Gonda.

Hoang Duc is a player who left a strong impression on the Vietnamese national team. Photo: Hai Hoang

But Japan's class was demonstrated in the 17th minute of the match. From an attack down the left wing, the ball was crossed into the box for Ito, who easily scored past Tan Truong. The score was opened for the Japanese players.

After conceding an early goal, the Vietnamese team tried to push forward, but the efforts of Hoang Duc, Cong Phuong, and Quang Hai did not trouble the defense led by the experienced center-back Tomiyasu.

Having taken the lead, Japan played quite leisurely, not speeding up their attack, but still posing a significant threat to the Vietnamese defense. The Vietnamese players lacked variety in their runs, making it difficult for the midfielders to find space to pass the ball to their teammates.

Despite conceding an early goal, the fans in the stands cheered enthusiastically, which boosted the morale of Coach Park's players. The red-shirted team tried to play a pressing game, relentlessly chasing down opponents to reduce pressure on Tan Truong's goal. And several times in the first half, the Vietnamese team attempted to launch attacks, although they didn't create many dangerous chances, but they still brought excitement to the fans at My Dinh Stadium.

While Vietnam was trying to put pressure on their opponents, from a counter-attack down the left flank, Ito dribbled past Duy Manh and unleashed a powerful shot that went right between the crossbar and the post, leaving Tan Truong helpless. However, after consulting VAR, the referee determined that the ball had slightly touched one of Ito's teammates in an offside position, and the goal was disallowed. After previous instances where VAR turned its back on the Vietnamese team, this time it brought luck to Coach Park's players.

In the second half, Phan Văn Đức was brought on to replace Tuấn Anh. In the previous matches of the Vietnamese national team in the third round of qualifiers, Đức had not been in good form, which is why he was not in the starting lineup in the matches against Oman and Japan.

The Samurai Blue have many attacking options, combining attacks from both wings and through the center. This style of play, coupled with the excellent mobility and movement of their strikers, caused considerable confusion for the Vietnamese defense. The Japanese strikers' moves were not flashy but highly effective, demonstrating the superior class of this top-ranked Asian team.

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

Van Toan came on as a substitute for Cong Phuong when the second half was almost halfway through. Coach Park expected him to bring a fresh impetus to Vietnam's attacks. However, Japan played high-pressure football, so the HAGL striker didn't have many opportunities to showcase his skills.

Towards the end of the second half, the Japanese team exerted immense pressure in the Vietnamese penalty area. However, through tenacious play, captain Que Ngoc Hai thwarted numerous clear scoring opportunities. Vietnam also had a clear chance in injury time. Thanh Trung's back pass to Xuan Truong, the number 6 midfielder, found himself in a clear position less than 20 meters from the goal, but his curling shot went wide, leaving many fans disappointed.

The match ended with only one goal scored by Japan. Thus, halfway through the third round of World Cup qualifiers, Coach Park's team still hasn't earned any points. This is somewhat disappointing for Vietnamese fans, but it must be said that the opponents in Group B are very strong, so we should be understanding of Coach Park Hang-seo and his team.

Starting lineup

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

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