Coach Mai Duc Chung: 'The Philippines' victory puts pressure on Vietnam'
Yesterday, the Philippines shocked when winning co-host New Zealand. This is only the second time that a Southeast Asian team has won all three points at a congress, after Thailand's victory (beating Ivory Coast 3-2 in 2015), and the first victory of the rookie group. this year (including Morocco, Philippines, Vietnam, Zambia, Republic of Ireland, Haiti, Portugal and Panama).
In the same Southeast Asian region, and compared with each other in recent years, coach Mai Duc Chung expressed sympathy with the comparisons and demands set for Vietnam before the second match against Portugal.
"Yesterday Philippines was very lucky. New Zealand attacked a lot, even put the ball in the net of the Philippines, but it was not recognized because of offside with a slight distance. They also hit the post. In football, sometimes the Such luck still appears," coach Mai Duc Chung said at a press conference this afternoon at FMG Waikato. "The Philippines' victory brings pressure to Vietnam, it's also good luck for Southeast Asian football. But we don't think if they win, we have to win. It is difficult to say so. The Philippines has many imported players. President. Vietnam is a domestic player. We cannot compare in terms of stature and strength with them. Meanwhile, the Portuguese opponent is very strong in long ball, high ball and wide attack."
Although expected, Coach Chung affirmed that he was not under pressure, because winning tickets to the World Cup was a success for Vietnamese football. The Hanoi military leader also revealed that in the meeting before the tournament, he encouraged the players, advising them to keep their minds at ease because they came from Southeast Asian football with a lower level than the world.
In the opening match on July 22, Vietnam was much underestimated, compared to the number one opponent in the world, the US. The whole match, the team did not finish a single time, but suffered up to 27 ending phases. Therefore, defeat 0-3 is considered an acceptable result for Vietnam. Coach Mai Duc Chung also said that the match brought the team many useful lessons.
"In Vietnam, there is a saying: 'Go a day, learn a smart sieve'. We have faced Spain, Germany, the US. Many high-qualified teams. We learned a lot, thanks to that competition. That's what I see clearly," he commented, adding that the players were more confident, knowing how to handle difficult situations, such as facing tall, fast opponents. If you are agile, you must stand away from people, must break far, pass quickly, not play the ball.
In the opening leg, Portugal was also empty-handed, due to a 0-1 defeat to the Dutch runner-up. If they want to continue, they must win the remaining two matches. According to coach Mai Duc Chung, Portugal will increase their attack, and that is a condition for Vietnam to promote a tight defensive kick and quick counterattack. "Both want to win. If you play, you have to aim to win," he added. "I know it's going to be difficult against Portugal. We've been practicing defensively and counter-attacking quickly, when we steal the ball, we will quickly deploy two or three very quick passes to get the shot. The benefits are great. Everyone wants to win." Although going to New Zealand for about three weeks, coach Mai Duc Chung said the team still had to be careful in activities because of the harsh weather. In Hamilton, the temperature is even lower than Auckland - where the team plays against the US.
