Coach Park Hang-seo (centre) and his players train in preparation for the AFC U23 Championship. Vietnam will play Qatar in the semi-finals today in Changshu. (Photo: VFF)Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam will haveto rely on players’ determination and confidence to face Qatar in thesemi-final match of the Asian Football Confederation U23 Championship in theafternoon of January 23 in Changshu, China.
Vietnam’s coach Park Hang-seo said this ata press briefing ahead of the match on January 22.
In the last four rounds, Vietnam have beenin a disadvantageous situation compared to their rivals in terms of physique.
Apart from their thin and small fixture,Vietnamese players were exhausted after the thrilling quarter-final match thatlasted for 120 minutes and included penalty shootouts.
But coach Park believed his players couldagain defeat a big rival.
“My players have to work hard, but theyhave great spirit that will help them overcome their physique problem in theupcoming match,” he said. Park and his team made headlines after theiroutstanding performance from the group round to the quarter-finals.
Vietnam lost only to the Republic of Koreain a match where they scored first, before knocking out powerhouses Australia,Syria and Iraq.
“We felt the pressure from the first matchwith South Korea. We know Qatar are very strong and the upcoming match isimportant for both sides,” Park said, adding Qatar are also under pressure towin and his players have just as much to lose as their more experiencedopponents.
Park said his players spent a lot of energyafter four difficult matches but had been preparing well for the semi-finalwith strong determination.
A big disadvantage for Park and the team,however, will be the absence of key player Doan Van Hau in the semi-final matchowing to injury, which may end the tournament earlier than expected.
Hau, the tallest player in the team, is afirm defender whose style is to play in attack. The member of the national U22squad and senior team assisted teammate Nguyen Quang Hai score the opener inthe match against the RoK in the group stage.
Park said he had a few players who were yetto get a break and he might make a few changes in the team to face Qatar.
According to the 61-year-old coach, Qatarare strong but they also have some weaknesses that Vietnam can take advantageof.
Park said Qatar were a powerhouse from theMiddle East, but he and his assistants watched their matches and discussed asuitable plan.
“Qatar have several good players who wouldbe well-controlled during the game. It would be our first job. We will try hardto attack on their disadvantages and we will see if it works or not tomorrow,”he said at the press conference.
Speaking with media, midfielder Phan VanDuc said the Vietnamese team would do their best in the match to make thenation proud.
“I will play as if it is my last game. Itis a game for Vietnam, for our supporters, families and friends,” said the 22year old, who was called to the squad in the last moment.
According to statistics, Duc has thehighest number of on-target shootings, with one goal in the quarter-final,highest accurate tackles of four and two assists that converted into goals forVietnam.
Meanwhile, coach Felix Sanchez of Qatarpraised Vietnam’s power in previous games, saying it would be the mostdifficult rival in the championship so far.
He said it would be a hard match becauseall teams in the semi-final were strong, however his team would have the bestresult against Vietnam.
“They beat Iraq. It will not be easy forus, but we are ready for it,” Sanchez said.
“Wehave watched all the games in the competition, and we know how Vietnam havebeen playing,” explained the Spaniard, who guided Qatar to the 2014 AFC U19Championship trophy, on the-afc.com.
“They are an organised team, and they havetalented players. But we are going to try to play in our way and stop them fromdoing what they usually do so well. In this type of (knockout) game, the smalldetails are going to be very important, and you can pay a big price for smallmistakes.
“Hopefully, we can be effective in all thethings we know we have to do well and be organised enough not to allow Vietnamto play to their strengths,” said Sanchez. He thinks experience is also goingto be a plus point for his team.
Qatar captain Ahmad Moein said he did nothave much information about Vietnam but knew it were a team with potentialafter their win over Iraq. They would be a big challenge to Qatar, he said.
According to Moein, the semi-final would bea chance for his side to fix their mistakes that caused them to lose at theprevious championship in which they unexpectedly finished fourth on home soil.Qatar would not let the disappointment repeat this time, he said.
Vietnam and Qatar have met several times inthe past. At the 2008 Olympics’ qualifier, Vietnam had a draw and a loss. Onthe level of national team, Vietnam won two, drew one and lost one.
The first semi-final match will be judgedby Singapore referee Muhammad Taqi, one of four referees from Southeast Asia,from 3pm of January 23 in Vietnam time at the Changshu Stadium. - VNA
VNA
