Coach Troussier: “Thanh Binh played well almost the whole match”
In the match against Indonesia in Group D of the 2024 Asian Cup Finals on the evening of January 19, the Vietnam National Team encountered many difficulties due to Indonesia’s close play style, not hesitating to collide and commit fouls.
In the end, Vietnam team lost 0-1. The person who scored the only goal that brought an important victory to Indonesia was Asnawi (No. 14) with a successful penalty kick in the 42nd minute.
The “young” offender that led to the Vietnamese team receiving a penalty was midfielder Nguyen Thanh Binh for pulling the shirt of Dutch-born striker Rafael Struick.
Coach Troussier acknowledged that the Vietnamese team tried their best, but their opponent Indonesia is now a strong team, much different from before. VFF photo
Speaking at the press conference after the match, Coach Troussier expressed his satisfaction with the team’s playing spirit: “My players worked tirelessly, fighting until the last minute. In the second half, They did everything they could to find a goal. Some players had good performances, exceeding the threshold.”
Looking back at the match, coach Troussier highly appreciated the quality of the Indonesian squad: “This was an extremely difficult match. Indonesia had the addition of mixed-race players, naturalized Europeans. The Indonesian team at this time was very different. compared to Indonesia in the past, when the Vietnamese team faced off at the SEA Games and AFF Cup.
Basically, the match took place with high professional quality and the result was decided by a penalty situation. That was a small error for the Vietnamese team in the penalty area.
Even though we lost the match, I’m still proud of my players. In football there are always winners and losers, but when you have tried your best, there is nothing to regret.”
When reporters asked questions about Thanh Binh’s mistake, coach Troussier shared: “I had a private conversation with both Thanh Binh and Viet Anh after the first half. And in the second half, they defended much better.
Thanh Binh dared to play, dared to confront mistakes and surpass his limits. Thanh Binh has good expertise but is always a bit shy and timid. I don’t blame Thanh Binh and Viet Anh because they played well almost the whole match.”
Closing the press conference, coach Troussier expressed his determination to play well in the final match against Iraq, even though the match only had a procedural meaning when the Vietnamese team was soon eliminated:
“Today’s results make it impossible for the team to continue, but we do not give up. The Vietnamese team will still fight with the goal of winning against Iraq.
Currently, the team can only play 60-70 minutes at high intensity, and their physical strength often declines at the end of the match. My style of play requires players to move when they don’t have the ball.
Each match, a player runs an average of 8-10km. To motivate players, the quality of matches in V.League must also be improved.”