Football 

Vietnamese midfielder Khuất Văn Khang (left) seen in action during Việt Nam vs Jordan friendly on April 10 in Qatar. Photos of VFF

HÀ NỘI — Despite a defeat to Jordan in their friendly test, coach Hoàng Anh Tuấn of Việt Nam was still confident about his players' performance at the upcoming AFC U23 Asian Cup next week.

The match was part of Việt Nam's preparation for the continental competition. It was played in a closed stadium in Doha, Qatar.

After the official 90 minutes of time, both two sides entered the spot kicks and Viet Nam lost 3-4.

Speaking about his players, Tuấn said he was glad with what they did and the score. Against a strong rival, Việt Nam created several threatening chances including two on-target finishes by Nguyên Hoàng and Bùi Vĩ Hào.

“It is a good test for Việt Nam. Generally, players did their job pretty well," said Tuấn.

"We played with two different line-ups in the two halves. But the quality was the same. We made really good opportunities to open the score. The penalties kicks were what we expected from this friendly. It is a kind of practise in our plan. In the spot kicks, Việt Nam lost but I think a draw is deserved for both."

Coach Hoàng Anh Tuấn (centre) talks with his players during the match,

He added that players did not meet his tactical requirements yet but it was not a big problem. They would have six days to be ready for the first match against Kuwait. In general, his players were good in terms of skills and technique. Their tactics will gradually improve.

"We saw their confidence from this game. They played with the same quality and intensity until the last minutes," he said.

The team has a day off on April 11 and returns for training the next day.

Việt Nam will play Kuwait on April 17. They later play Malaysia on April 20 and Uzbekistan three days later.

The team's target is the knockout stage. VNS