Iraq players during a trainig session, yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: Head coach Philippe Troussier believes his Vietnam side has shown a lot of improvement despite being eliminated from the group stage of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 ahead of their final Group D game against Iraq today.
The Golden Star Warriors go into the match at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium with no points to their name, having fallen to a 4-2 defeat against Japan before being edged 1-0 by Indonesia in the second match; a result which meant even a win against the Lions of Mesopotamia cannot take them out of fourth place.
“Before our game against Iraq, we are already out of the competition on head-to-head. It is a pity, but that is what it is,” said Troussier.
“We have two main motivations; one is to respect and honour our flag and our nation and present a good image of Vietnamese football against Iraq, and the other is that we have in the near future a big challenge, which is the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 where we have two important matches against Indonesia home and away in March, and this match is a great opportunity to prepare for these two games.”
“Even though we lost both games, I can see a lot of improvement especially in maturity in terms of control of the ball and not being afraid. Against Indonesia I saw a great character that my players don’t give up, and that is a spirit we need tomorrow again.
“We have to change the mentality of the players, we have to select players who are not afraid to control the ball and face big teams. We are in this process, but unfortunately, the Asian Cup came too early for us.”
For Iraq, the match presents an opportunity to end the group stage with the full nine points for the first time in their history and to secure the top spot ahead of Japan, but head coach Jesus Casas also sees it as an opportunity to continue improving.
The Lions of Mesopotamia started their journey with a 3-1 victory over Indonesia, before stunning Japan 2-1 in the second match to book their place in the Round of 16.
“I think it is an important match. Regardless of the fact we are already qualified, all matches are important for us because we can improve each time. We need to show our best performance and best style. In football, all teams want to win. Vietnam will want to win too,” said Casas.
Group D - Iraq vs Vietnam
Advantage Iraq: Vietnam have lost both their previous AFC Asian Cup meetings with Iraq; Japan are the only side the Golden Star Warriors have played more often without registering a win or a draw (P3 L3) in competition history.
Record-run bid: A win against Vietnam will give Iraq three consecutive victories at the AFC Asian Cup for the first time.
Favourite opponents: Iraq have scored five goals in their two AFC Asian Cup encounters with Vietnam, including a 3-2 win in 2019 – only against Thailand (8) and Islamic Republic of Iran (6) have they scored more often in competition history.
Sharp: Bui Hoang Viet Anh has made nine interceptions in Qatar 2023, the second highest by any Vietnam player in a single edition since 2007; only Huy Hoang Nguyen (10 in 2007) has recorded more in a single season (2007) in the same timeframe.
