Vietnamese players encouraged after loss, promise good result against Iraq

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF)’s officials have asked Vietnam's coaches and players to look for a positive result in their last Asian Cup's group round match on January 24 in Doha, Qatar.

Vietnam suffered unexpected 0-1 loss to Indonesia on January 19 and were ousted from the continental tournament.

VFF Vice President Tran Anh Tu and General Secretary Duong Nghiep Khoi came to reassure the team that the national football governing body was by their side and they would continue receive best conditions to reach future targets.

The VFF officials also encouraged the players to have a better match against Iraq in the Asian Cup before keeping eyes on the 2026 World Cup qualification where they would play Indonesia twice in March.

Coach Philippe Troussier and his squad were back training on January 20 after the whole team identified a key area to improve for the upcoming events, especially the World Cup and next AFC Asian Cup in 2027.

“My first feeling is one of disappointment because we lost the match," said Troussier who however praised players' spirit and performance in the second half and said his side deserved to get a goal.

“We conceded a penalty before half time and it put us in trouble. But I liked the reaction of my players. I’m surprised how we played and how we tried.

“First weak point is the physical aspect. As we showed in this tournament, we can only play high intensity for 60 minutes. It’s clear we have to improve this aspect because in my system, the players have to run nine-10km every match.”

The Frenchman said his team would try hard to have best result before they end the Asian Cup campaign.

Forward Pham Tuan Hai said: "We all worked hard in that match but the result was unexpected. We are training hard to be better every day and adapt to coach Troussier's playing style.

"I hope that Vietnamese fans will trust us and support us in our journey because we are on the way to get closer to the continental level. Let's accompany each other and strive together."

Earlier defender Bui Hoang Viet Anh and midfielder Nguyen Tuan Anh expressed their own opinions about the match. They regretted that Vietnam played without some experienced members because of injuries. Meanwhile they appreciated remarkable progress of Indonesia especially after they naturalised several players.

Indonesia's win showed that football was constantly moving forward and the Vietnamese team needed to work harder.

“Supporters should believe in us. Vietnam team will change for a stronger and better performance”, said Viet Anh.

Tuan Anh added that the team still needed more time to be fluent with Troussier's plans.