SEA Games

Vietnamese players celebrate after their 2-0 win against Laos in the Group B match on April 30. Photo courtesy of VFF

HÀ NỘI — Despite Việt Nam's unexpected performance coach Philippe Troussier was pleased with the final result of the team's first match at the 32nd SEA Games.

Việt Nam struggled to beat Laos 2-0 with goals by Nguyễn Văn Tùng and Nguyễn Quốc Việt at the Prince Stadium on April 30 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

"I am happy with the result with two goals from live ball situations and the clean sheet," Troussier said at the post-match briefing.

"This win places us in a good position (in the group) ahead of the next three matches. It is great to begin a tournament with a win.

"Of course, I am not satisfied with all details of the matches. My players should play better in some situations but the first match is always difficult. I just want to talk about the result which will be a strong push for the next matches," said Troussier who confirmed Việt Nam's target of being in the top two of Group B.

The Frenchman agreed with his German counterpart Michael Weiss who said Laos had a good match and had chances to score. But he disagreed that the Lao side should have had one point from this game.

"It was impossible because we won 2-0. Goals didn't fall from the sky but from our players' strong efforts. My goalkeeper and defenders tried their best to keep the sheet clean," he said.

Forward Nguyễn Quốc Việt of Việt Nam (right) challenges Lao defender Anantaza Siphongphan during their match at the Prince Stadium in Phnom Penh.

Goalie Quan Văn Chuẩn also took part in the post-match conference. He admitted that there were mistakes from the Vietnamese side and the team must review the game and fix the problems.

"We tried out best. We suffered pressure in the first match but we overcame it. The coach put his trust in me and I tried hard to meet his demands. As a captain, I asked my teammates to play stronger for a win," said Chuẩn who was named best player of the Việt Nam side by Troussier.

"We will watch the match again and find out our weaknesses and fix them. We have to improve our high ball skills and seal all holes that strikers could dig in to break our defence."

In the next match on May 3, Việt Nam will play Singapore who lost 1-3 to Thailand on April 30.

Coach Weiss said Laos played well and had several threatening opportunities to score. His defenders stopped many attempts from Việt Nam which affirmed their position after securing a berth in the last qualifier of the 2022 World Cup.

He said his players made remarkable progress and deserved a draw. They learned a lot from this match and mistakes would be fixed for the upcoming games.

Weiss said Laos must have positive results from upcoming matches to go through to the next round. They will next play Malaysia on May 3.

"Malaysia are a strong team, and as tough as Việt Nam. However, I think my team can surprise them." VNS