Vietnam vs. Afghanistan: A battle against a giant.

(Baonghean.vn) -Afghan players lack discipline and have average individual skills, so if well-organized, these "underdogs" can still beat these "giants".

>>>Huy Hoang: Vietnam will win by a margin of 2 goals against Afghanistan

Identifying competitors

Afghan players have a playing style typical of Central Asia, characterized by simple play, mainly long passes and aerial balls, and a willingness to engage in physical challenges.

First of all, the current coach of the Afghanistan national team is 79-year-old Otto Pfister, who has far more achievements than his counterpart Huu Thang of the Vietnamese national team.

Coach Huu Thang and captain Thanh Trung attend the pre-match press conference. (Screenshot from TV)

During his coaching career, he managed teams such as Rwanda, Zaire, Bangladesh, and Togo—countries with less developed economies. However, Otto Pfister's name is most closely associated with Saudi Arabia (winning the Arab Cup in 1998) and Togo's World Cup campaign in 2006.

In fact, Afghanistan also has a national championship with 8 regular teams, organized at the end of the year when the fighting subsides, usually played on neutral ground, and suspended if there is instability.

Afghan players are mostly found working as hired footballers all over the world, from West Asia (Iran), Eastern Europe (Russia, Montenegro), Western Europe (Germany, Netherlands), to Northern Europe (Norway, Sweden), and down to Southeast Asia (Thailand). Of course, with their mediocre skill level, they can only play for lesser-known clubs, or even amateur teams.

Like other teams in the Central Asian region, the tall stature is a strong point of the Afghan players. Most Afghan players are over 1.80m tall, and it's common for some to be around 1.90m. Therefore, even before the match, people can imagine a game where Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates will constantly have to jump high to head the ball throughout the entire game.

Twisting the giant's side

The Vietnamese national team has faced West Asian teams before, even defeating Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, neighbors of Afghanistan. Coach Nguyen Huu Thang is well aware of the strategies for dealing with these "giants" under the guidance of coach Otto Pfister.

Expected starting lineup for Vietnam. Photo: AT

The Vietnamese players were forced to play short, low passes before the Afghan players swarmed in to win the ball back. To limit the opposing team's ability to cross high balls into the 16.5-meter area, the midfielders had to actively win the ball back, not giving the opponents any space to look around.

Vietnam's defense is expected to remain with Van Hoan and Van Thanh on the flanks, and Ngoc Hai and Tien Dung in central defense. In midfield, Thanh Trung will return to his familiar left wing position, while Minh Tuan, who is considered to have better physical fitness than Van Toan, will occupy the right wing.

The central midfield pairing of Huy Hung and Xuan Truong continues to be trusted by coach Huu Thang after the match against Taiwan. When Van Quyet returns, Tuan Tai will sit on the bench watching Cong Phuong and Van Quyet figure out how to break down Afghanistan's defense, which consists of many tall and strong players.

Certainly, the playing styles of the two teams are like "water and fire," and the winning team will be the one that seizes the opportunity. Fans still have faith that our national team players will do better than in the friendly match against Taiwan.

AT