Asian Cup 2019: Coach Park vows not to give up after losing to Iran

As expected by football experts, Vietnam were not able to gain any points against Iran in their second Group D match at the ongoing Asian Cup 2019 last night. The Golden Dragons could only keep a clean sheet until the 37th minute as “Iran’s Messi” Sardar Azmoun scored their opener, before wrapping up the second win for Team Melli with his second goal in the 69th minute.

Talking to the press after the match, coach Park said: "I know Iran are very strong. In this match, the Vietnamese players fought their best. It is not easy to achieve the high level like in the Asian Cup in a short period. However, this competition is a great experience for my young team to improve and their future is a bright one.”

Losing their second consecutive match, Vietnam are forced to win the full three points in their last group game against Yemen on January 16 to have a chance to continue to the knockout phase. Park added: "The task now is to win the last match. We will have to prepare very carefully for this match with determination to win."

The Vietnamese (in red) played with determination but could not cause a surprise against their strong opponents. (Photo: AFC)

Meanwhile, Iran’s coach Carlos Queiroz also admitted that the result was very good for his team, but it was not easy for Iran to win. “The Vietnamese played very well. I also predicted from the beginning that defeating Vietnam would not be easy,” he said.

Vietnam will kick their last match with Yemen on January 16, while Iran will encounter their Iraqi neighbours in the other match on the same day to decide the top two spots in Group D. Iraq beat Yemen 3-0 on Saturday to go level with Iran on six points after two matches.