Vietnam lose 1-2 to Kyrgyzstan in friendly ahead of Asian Cup 2023
VOV.VN - Vietnam conceded a 1-2 defeat to Kyrgyzstan in a friendly match on January 9 in Doha, Qatar, in their final test ahead of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2023.
Joel Kojo opened the score for Kyrgyzstan in the 31st minute before Truong Tien Anh earned an equalizer for Vietnam in the 63rd minute.
Eleven minutes later saw defender Ayzar Akmatov made a goal, extending Kyrgyzstan’s lead, and 2-1 was the final score.
As both teams agreed to play behind closed doors, there was little information about the match.
The friendly match was coach Philippe Troussier’s final test of the team's formation before his players begin their Asian Cup 2023 campaign in Qatar.
Troussier subsequently sent in all 30 players in the preliminary list of players to test their ability.
On January 13, he would cross out four names to make the final lift of players for registration with the Asian Football Confederation.
AFC Asian Cup 2023 will take place in Doha, Qatar, from January 12 to February 10, 2024, with the participation of 24 teams. The teams are divided into six groups, and at the end of the group stage, the top two teams in each group and the four best third-placed teams will win tickets to the round of 16.
Vietnam play in Group D alongside Japan, Indonesia and Iraq. They are scheduled to take on Japan on January 14, Indonesia on January 19 and Iraq on January 24.
