Why were Nguyen Filip and Chau Ngoc Quang removed from the Vietnamese team?

(NLDO) - Coach Kim Sang-sik announced the list of the Vietnamese national team on FIFA Days in October 2025, but two key players Nguyen Filip and Chau Ngoc Quang were absent.

Chau Ngoc Quang and Nguyen Filip are regular members of the Vietnam national team under coach Kim Sang-sik but were absent from this training session for various reasons. However, with the strong squad of the national team, the Korean strategist has many options to replace this pair of pillars.

Chau Ngoc Quang with coach Kim Sang-sik

Before the day the Vietnamese national team's coaching staff announced the squad list to prepare for the two matches against Nepal in Group F of the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup, midfielder Chau Ngoc Quang suffered a serious injury in round 5 of the 2025-2026 V-League.

The Hoang Anh Gia Lai "factory" player left the field after only 15 minutes of playing at Lach Tray Stadium and was diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

It is expected that the midfielder of Ninh Binh FC will have knee ligament surgery on October 2 in Ho Chi Minh City and will need at least 6-8 months of treatment and recovery.

The bad luck not only caused Chau Ngoc Quang to miss the rest of the 2025-2026 season but also lost the opportunity to be called up to the Vietnamese national team to compete in the upcoming final qualifying rounds of the 2027 Asian Cup.

Previously, Ngoc Quang was always the choice on the right wing of the Vietnamese team, making great contributions to helping the home team win the ASEAN Cup 2024.

At his home club, he is also a good partner alongside Hoang Duc, Duc Chien, Quang Nho, Bao Toan... helping Ninh Binh Club firmly hold the top spot in the V-League 2025-2026 table after 5 rounds.

In contrast to Ngoc Quang's absence, goalkeeper Nguyen Filip was removed from the Vietnam national team's training camp this time due to his poor performance.

The Vietnamese-American goalkeeper of the Hanoi Police made many serious mistakes in the opening match of the Southeast Asian Cup C1 as well as the AFC Champions League Two.

Nguyen Filip is not at his peak.

Nguyen Filip has not had luck when joining the Vietnam national team and last time he conceded 4 goals against the Malaysian team. The probability of Vietnam winning a match in an international tournament is quite low whenever Filip is in the starting lineup, guarding the home team's goal. Therefore, he has become a backup option for Nguyen Dinh Trieu in the ASEAN Cup 2024.

To take Nguyen Filip's place, coach Kim Sang-sik recalled goalkeeper Dang Van Lam - who maintained his peak form for Ninh Binh Club in the early stages of the 2025-2026 season.

Van Lam is also one of the experienced "spider men" wearing the national team jersey to compete internationally.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/vi-sao-nguyen-filip-chau-ngoc-quang-bi-gach-ten-trong-tuyen-viet-nam-19625093019123077.htm