HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s head coach Park Hang-seo has announced his final 20-man squad for the upcoming Asian Games (ASIAD) in Indonesia.

Notably, the coach left Vietnamese-Russian goalkeeper Đặng Văn Lâm out of the squad in favour of Bùi Tiến Dũng and Nguyễn Văn Hoàng.

Park’s decision made fans surprised as Lâm, 26, has been in good form and is considered the best goalkeeper among the three U23 Việt Nam goalies and in the national premier league.

However, with only three players aged 23 plus allowed, Park chose to leave Lâm at home to take veterans Nguyễn Anh Đức, Nguyễn Văn Quyết and Đỗ Hùng Dũng to the Games.

The South Korean coach tested the three players in the 1-1 draw with Uzbekistan in the International U23 Football Tournament – VinaPhone Cup 2018 which concluded in Hà Nội on Tuesday, with Việt Nam taking the title.

Lâm is still expected to Việt Nam’s No 1 in the upcoming AFF Suzuki Cup and Asian Cup.

After hearing the news, Lâm wasn’t too sad and said he would try harder.

“I thank everyone for encouraging me. My football path has never been easy. However, it will be a driving force for me to try more and more,” said Lâm.

“Vietnamese blood runs in my body and I won’t give up. I hope my teammates play well and to see everyone in other events,” Lâm added.

Following the friendly tournament, Việt Nam will train in Bình Dương Province before heading to Indonesia on August 11.

At the AFC event, Việt Nam are in Group D alongside Japan, Pakistan and Nepal.

The men’s football kicks off on August 14 and will finish on September 1 in Indonesia. It will feature 26 teams in two groups of five and four groups of four. The top two teams from each group and the four best third-place teams will advance to the second round.

At the 2014 ASIAD in Incheon, South Korea, Việt Nam, coached by Japan’s Toshiya Miura, took a surprising 4-1 win over Iraq in the group stage before making it through to the round of 16, where they were defeated by the United Arab Emirates. — VNS

Việt Nam’s ASIAD squad:

Goalkeepers: Bùi Tiến Dũng (FLC Thanh Hóa), Nguyễn Văn Hoàng (Sài Gòn).

Defenders: Đỗ Duy Mạnh, Trần Đình Trọng, Đoàn Văn Hậu, Phạm Đức Huy, Nguyễn Thành Chung (Hà Nội), Vũ Văn Thanh, Phạm Xuân Mạnh (SLNA), Bùi Tiến Dũng (Viettel), Trịnh Văn Lợi (Hải Phòng)

Midfielders: Đỗ Hùng Dũng, Nguyễn Quang Hải, Nguyễn Văn Quyết (Hà Nội), Lương Xuân Trường (HAGL), Phan Văn Đức (SLNA)

Forwards: Nguyễn Anh Đức (Bình Dương), Hà Đức Chinh (Đà Nẵng), Nguyễn Công Phượng, Nguyễn Văn Toàn (HAGL)