Football

Philippe Troussier (centre) and his players at the January 22 at the Al Ryan Stadium. Việt Nam will play Iraq in the Asian Cup Group D's last match today. — Photo courtesy of VFF

HÀ NỘI — Philippe Troussier has asked his team not to give up, and Vietnamese players promised a good game when they face Iraq in Group D's last match before they leave the AFC Asian Cup 2023.

After two defeats, Việt Nam are the first team ousted from the continental tournament. Meanwhile Iraq have qualified for the next stage after two wins.

The match will not help Việt Nam to go on, but they are aiming for a complimentary result that will show their effort and determination.

However, Frenchman Troussier still faces trouble in his task to earn points for Việt Nam today in Doha, Qatar.

He will welcome back his young sharp scorer Nguyễn Đình Bắc in the line-up, as he has recovered from an injury which kept him off the field in Việt Nam's 1-0 loss to Indonesia on January 19.

However, three other players – Phạm Tuấn Hải, Nguyễn Văn Tùng and Trương Tiến Anh – cannot ensure their participation in the match. All of them suffered pain during the game against Indonesia.

Troussier has only experienced striker Nguyễn Văn Toàn and teenager Bắc in the front line. His other choices will be youngsters Nguyễn Văn Trường and Khuất Văn Khang. Bắc, Trường and Khang were Việt Nam's key strikers at the Asian U20 Championship 2023 where Việt Nam won against Australia and Qatar.

Physical strength was also a big issue of Việt Nam, Troussier told reporters after the Indonesia match.

In the recent training he focused on exercises to improve the team's fitness, asking players to practise hard.

“We are not allowed to give up. Players must maintain their fighting spirit in all situations," said Troussier.

Young player Khuất Văn Khang (left) dreams to score a goal for Việt Nam against Iraq. — Photo courtesy of VFF

After a training session on Monday, midfielder Khang confirmed his coach's opinion.

"We are disappointed because Việt Nam could not enter next round. But we are determined to have a positive result against Iraq," said Khang.

"We discussed together, watching their videos and analysed them. Iraq are a strong team in Asia. We met them in the World Cup qualifier which was a tough game.

"We will do our best to have a good performance in the upcoming game. I myself will play with 100 per cent of my ability, and want to have a goal for Việt Nam," said Khang who was put back on the field from the bench in the previous matches.

Players are asked to improve their physical strength, which is Việt Nam's weak point leading to unexpected results at the Asian Cup. — Photo courtesy of VFF

On the other side, coach Jesus Casas of Iraq wanted a win against Việt Nam before winning the Asian Cup trophy.

The Spaniard declared Iraq’s performance “close to the perfect match” after the Lions of Mesopotamia booked their place in the last 16 on January 19.

“Today’s a great day for the Iraqi people, but for us it’s only one win,” he said. “We have six points but we have to think about Việt Nam.

“This tournament is very hard. All tournaments are very hard, because in a tournament like this, one mistake, and bye-bye – no more! We have to think only about Việt Nam and, after Việt Nam, the next opponent.

Already qualified Iraq will be aiming to conclude their Asian Cup Group D campaign with a perfect record when they meet Việt Nam on Wednesday. — Photo sggp.org.vn

“Football is fighting, it’s the quality you most need to be competitive,” said Casas.

“It’s important to win a match. My way since I came to the Iraq national team is the same. The perfect match doesn’t exist. It’s impossible to have a perfect match. But we were close to the perfect match.”

He said the Iraqi team were ready to face any opponent at the 2023 Asian Cup finals. The task was not easy, but his side were working hard and striving to reach the final and win the title.

In the last four meets, Iraq beat Việt Nam three times and drew one. In the most recent game, Iraq won 1-0 during the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in last November in Hà Nội. — VNS