VietNam Culture: face Japan

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Draw pits Vietnam against big rivals at Asiad

The draw in Guangzhou, China on Thursday put the Vietnamese U23 male footballers in Group B against big rivals Iran, Bahrain and Turkmenistan at the 16th Asian Games next month.

Vietnam’s U23s beat their Iranian opponents 2-0 to take the championship of the Thang Long Cup in Ho Chi Minh City last Saturday (Oct 2). Yet the coming clash in Guangzhou may be very different.

The other two rivals Bahrain and Turkmenistan will prove difficult rivals because they are physically bigger and stronger than the Vietnamese players.

Southeast Asian powerhouse Thailand will clash with Oman, Pakistan and Maldives in Group F while Malaysia will face Japan, Kyrgyzstan and hosts China in Group A and Singapore will compete with Qatar, Kuwait and India in Group D.

In the women’s event, Vietnamese Under-23s will play against Jordan, South Korea and hosts China in Group A while Thailand will face Japan and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in Group B.

The men’s football competition will start on November 7 and finish on November 25 while the women’s contest will begin on November 14 and end on November 23.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Vietnam eager to face Japan

Coach Trieu Quang Ha (R) and striker Quoc Phuong

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Vietnam and tournament-favorite Japan are eager to meet one another at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 Championships in China after both of them secured victories in the opening match day on Monday.

Vietnam, who overturned the initial score to defeat Jordan 2-1, will stage a low formation to counter-attack Japan -- who advanced six times to the regional U-19 tournaments, said Vietnamese coach Trieu Quang Ha.

“I watched the tape of Japan winning against the United Arab Emirates 2-1 and realized that they are strong with swift attacks along the two wings”, he said.

Vietnam can play a leveled game with Japan (to start at 7:30 GMT Wednesday), he added.

Vietnam will switch from 4-4-2 to 3-5-1 formation while facing Japan, with two central defenders Anh Quang and Tien Duy, according to the coach. Three midfielders Hoang Thinh, Huu Dinh and Hai Huy will cover the middle area to make up a second defensive wall.

Ha is also confident that his U-19 players have good athletic form and height to compete against the rivals.

The Vietnamese U-19 team is one of 16 out of 38 Asian national teams to pass the qualifying round in November of last year.

The Asian U-19 event is held every two years.

VietNam Culture