According to the initial plan, Park Hang-seo’s side was to have a friendly with Iraq ahead of their departure for an away clash against Malaysia in the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2022 AFC qualifiers, slated for March 31. However, the Iraq Football Association (IFA) recently requested the cancellation of the game for fear of the ongoing Covid-19 epidemic.
Shortly after the incident, the VFF proactively implemented new solutions, and on the afternoon of February 19 the Football Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic (FFKR) officially confirmed their acceptance of the invitation from the VFF for a friendly between the two national teams next month.
This is the result of the VFF’s great diplomatic efforts, aiming to search for a quality opponent in service of the Vietnamese squad’s preparations for the upcoming stage of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, according to Permanent Vice President of the VFF Tran Quoc Tuan.
In a letter of response sent to the VFF on Wednesday, FFKR General Secretary Mederbek Sydykov expressed his thanks for the Vietnamese side’s invitation, affirming that they would field the ‘A’ team to Vietnam for the friendly match against Park Hang-seo’s side.
Kyrgyzstan are considered a quality test for Park Hang-seo's Vietnamese side.
The game will be of great significance to Kyrgyzstan as they are preparing for their next 2022 World Cup qualifying clash against Myanmar (scheduled on March 31), the Kyrgyz football official emphasised.
Kyrgyzstan, currently No. 96 in the FIFA Rankings, are considered a quality test for Park Hang-seo’s men. In the World Cup 2022 qualifiers, Kyrgyzstan have been drawn against reigning Asian Cup runners-up Japan, Tajikistan, Myanmar and Mongolia. After the first five matchdays, the Central Asian team temporarily stand second in Group F with seven points (two wins, one draw and two losses), five behind leaders Japan. Impressively, Kyrgyzstan thrashed Myanmar 7-0 on matchday two at home in October 2019.
As planned, the Vietnamese team will reconvene on March 21 in preparation for the friendly match with Kyrgyzstan on March 26 and their next World Cup qualifying clash against Malaysia five days later.
