Futsal

Captain Phạm Đức Hòa of Việt Nam (left) in action in match between Việt Nam and New Zealand at the four-side international friendly tournament on March 31 in HCM City. VNS Photo Quốc An

HÀ NỘI — Captain Phạm Đức Hòa says Việt Nam has a double target when they take part in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup later this month in Thailand.

Preparations for the tournament are almost complete after their third-place finish at a four-side international friendly event on March 31.

One high note was the match against a powerful Iran team. Despite a 3-1 defeat, the result was much better than previous meetings between the two sides.

"I think Việt Nam are ready for the Cup," said coach Diego Giustozzi.

"Iran are not only No 1 in Asia but also in the world leading group. In the Asian Cup not every team could play as well as Iran. So I believe that we will have chance."

In Bangkok, Việt Nam will play Myanmar, China and the hosts in Group A on April 17, 19 and 21, respectively.

The top four teams will qualify for the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan in September.

Hòa and his team are determined to help qualify for the World Cup for the third time and outrank their previous best showing at the continental championship of fourth position in 2016.

“The goal is clear and that’s to get one of the spots at the World Cup, but we’re also aiming for our first medal at the Asian Cup," said Hòa who has a pair of FIFA Futsal World Cup appearances under his belt, a slew of individual honours.

"We know that in order to improve on that fourth-place finish from 2016 we will need some luck, but as the captain of the team I always believe and have full confidence in my teammates,” he was quoted as saying on FIFA.com.

Captain Phạm Đức Hòa is confident Việt Nam can win an Asian medal for the first time and secure a World Cup spot. Photo FIFA.com

Under the guidance of Colombia 2016-winning coach Giustozzi, Việt Nam, with domestic league having come on leaps and bounds, have strongly transformed.

Hòa, the 2023 Futsal Player of the Year, is optimistic that those changes will be strong base for brighter future of Vietnamese futsal.

“Our national team squad has changed a lot this year and we now have a lot of young players competing for places,” he said.

“Vietnamese futsal has also changed a lot. The league has a new format now where we play home and away matches and the season runs much longer than was previously the case. We also have foreign players in the league, so the development is really positive and I hope we can continue to build on that,” said Hòa who will be 33 several days before the first Asian Cup match."

In the tournament, Việt Nam will face a veteran coach who worked with the team in the past but is in charge of one of their rivals.

Giustozzi said: “We will face Thailand at the Asian Cup with their coach Miguel Rodrigo, who was our coach before.

"He’s a good coach, a friendly person and I’m sure that will be an exciting match against Thailand, but I hope that we win!

“In terms of what comes next, it’s always difficult to find time to relax away from the game, so I’m looking forward to spending time with my family and I also enjoy catching up and playing football with my old teammates. I have a lot of interest in becoming a football or a futsal commentator, but I think I should learn and practice a lot before I can become professional.” VNS