AFC highlights Vietnamese men’s football team ahead of Asian Cup
VOV.VN - The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has released an article detailing the Vietnamese men’s national football team before the 2023 Asian Cup begins in January.
According to the media outlet, the Vietnamese team will have the advantage of being guided by a coach who previously tasted AFC Asian Cup glory, with the Southeast Asian side counting on Philippe Troussier's experience in their bid to enjoy a successful tournament.
Their best performance in the continental showpiece was their quarter-final appearances in 2007 and 2019, but Vietnam will feel like they have the quality and experience to challenge Asia's best, the AFC added.
A period of sustained growth has seen the national team establish itself as a force in Southeast Asia alongside Thailand.
Their appearance in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals in the UAE was followed by Vietnam qualifying for the third round of the World Cup qualifiers, their first appearance at this stage, it wrote.
While the revered Park Hang-seo, who played a pivotal role in Vietnam's rise, is no longer with the team, they instead have a proven winner in Troussier, the AFC noted.
Despite facing a tough draw which sees Vietnam take on Japan, who Troussier coached to the 2000 AFC Asian Cup title; along with regional rivals Indonesia and Iraq, who defeated them in recent meetings, Vietnam will be a side to watch in the upcoming tournament, the article concluded.
Vietnam will play in Group D alongside Japan, Indonesia, and Iraq at the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar, according to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF).
The national team coached by Phillippe Troussier are scheduled to compete against four-time winners Japan at Al Thumama Stadium on January 14, Indonesia at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium on January 19, and 2007 Asian Cup champions Iraq at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on January 24.
The 2023 Asian Cup sees 24 teams divided into six groups and play in a round-robin format in each group.
The top two teams from each group, as well as the four best-performing third-placed teams, will duly advance to the round of 16.
At the 2019 Asian Cup under the tutelage of coach Park Hang Seo, Vietnam qualified for the knock-out round as one of the best third-placed teams. The Golden Star Warriors therefore advanced to the quarter-finals where they lost 1-0 to Japan.
