Vietnam team and the face-up card game

The 3-1 victory of the Vietnamese team over Nepal in the first leg of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers almost exposed all the strengths and weaknesses of both teams.

Vietnam team should not 'run away' from opportunities

Overall, the first leg was a superior performance by the home team Vietnam when the ball control rate was always maintained at 70%. Coach Kim's students made 710 passes, 3 times more than their opponents. Tien Linh and his teammates launched 24 finishing situations, averaging 1 shot or 1 header towards Nepal's goal every 4 minutes. And if goalkeeper Kiran Chemjong had not been excellent with 10 saves, the number of goals conceded by the Nepal team would probably be higher.

Tien Linh (left) is expected to continue to shine in the second leg against Nepal.

PHOTO: INDEPENDENCE

Apart from the opening move leading to Tien Linh's perfect goal, the remaining goals of VN were not exemplary arrangements. In the opening goal, Tien Linh handled the ball perfectly in the first touch and decisively shot towards the far corner. It was almost an unstoppable shot. But unfortunately, Linh missed 4 similar opportunities afterwards. In addition, his ability to move to support his teammates in the second line was limited, many coordination phases were broken quite unluckily. There were quite a few situations where the ball was easily lost, fortunately Nepal, after receiving the red card, no longer had the strength and power to counterattack dangerously.

Apart from Tien Linh, the other strikers in the attack line have not left much of an impression. Hai Long had a few breakthroughs from the wing to the center but his shots lacked precision. Tuan Hai was quite lackluster, only hitting the target once in the whole match. In the return leg, the Vietnamese team should not run away from opportunities anymore.

N BRIGHT SPOTS THAT NEED TO BE PROMOTED

One of the players who had an impressive performance in the first leg was Le Pham Thanh Long (rated 7.9 points by Sofascore), ranked 3rd after Tien Linh (8.1 points) and Xuan Manh (8.5 points).

Le Pham Thanh Long (19), Dinh Bac (9) and Quang Vinh (13)

The midfielder of Hanoi Police Club had a perfect combination with the team's number 1 star, Hoang Duc, when Long actively played low, swept, and recovered the ball effectively.

He was most effective with 121 touches, making 109 passes, of which 100 were accurate (success rate was 92%). The goal that raised the score to 3-1 for the Vietnamese team also came from Thanh Long's smart pass to Hoang Duc, leaving the midfielder completely free at the edge of the penalty area, shooting dangerously, forcing Kiran to push the ball, leading to Van Vi's rebound goal.

With the small midfielder number 19 providing effective support behind, Hoang Duc is much more confident in moving up to support the attack. The fact that coach Kim's biggest star launched 3 dangerous shots outside the penalty area and countless decisive passes into the opponent's 1/3 is clear proof. In addition, overseas Vietnamese player Cao Pendant Quang Vinh also had a good match with times moving up to support the attack effectively on the left wing.

In the return match on October 14 at Thong Nhat Stadium, it is entirely possible for Vietnam to gain 3 more points. But the important thing is what experience and lessons will coach Kim Sang-sik and his team gain when they visit Laos in November before meeting Malaysia again at the end of March 2026. After many events, Malaysia still maintained its strength with a 3-0 victory right on Laos soil. This makes Vietnam need to quickly improve and upgrade its quality if it wants to create a spectacular comeback.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-va-van-bai-lat-ngua-185251011182728204.htm