Vietnam vs Pakistan: Determined to "pocket" 3 points
Meeting Pakistan is an opportunity for Coach Park Hang Seo and his team to "pocket" their first 3 points in the opening match of Group D, taking place at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon at Wibawa Muki, Cikarang City (Indonesia).
In Group D, Japan was soon identified as the strongest opponent of the Vietnam Olympic team, while both Nepal and Pakistan were "underdogs". Pakistan has just undergone a 3-year ban from FIFA. The 2018 Asian Games is the first international tournament for this country's team.
They only got a Brazilian head coach in April. The Pakistani squad, as analyzed by the video of Coach Park Hang Seo and the coaching staff of the Vietnamese Olympic team, only has a few “quite fast” players.
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| Vietnam Olympic team aims for a beautiful victory in the opening match of Asiad 2018 against Pakistan. Photo: Vnexpress |
The fact that Mr. Park "publicly revealed" the tactical diagram of Vietnam Olympic one day in advance (3-4-3) partly shows the confidence of Vietnam Olympic against its opponent. Tien Phong's source said that in the professional meetings in Cikarang, Coach Park Hang Seo and the team members were very confident in the team's chances of winning.
The problem for Vietnam Olympic team is probably just how the team will play. After the success at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, the pressure on Mr. Park and his students is huge. The Korean coach himself also admitted this. The match against Pakistan this afternoon is the first official match of Vietnam Olympic team (actually Vietnam U23 + 3), after the extraordinary tournament in Changzhou, China.
Mr. Park needs a victory to facilitate the journey ahead for the Vietnam Olympic team, as well as to relieve pressure on the players, who are wearing the shirts of "heroes" from the 2018 AFC U23 Championship.
The preparation of the Vietnam Olympic team for the match with Pakistan was not really good due to both objective and subjective problems. However, the reality is that the players have just played in the V-League and more recently, participated in the 2018 International U23 tournament in Hanoi. Cong Phuong, Quang Hai, Luong Xuan Truong... are too familiar with each other's playing style.
A victory, with all the key players playing well, is probably the most perfect result for coach Park Hang Seo as well as the Vietnam Olympic team.
