Vietnam and Indonesia will face each other with both teams looking for their first points in the Asia Cup. The Indonesians lost 3-1 to Iraq in their inaugural match, while the Golden Star Warriors lost 4-2 to Japan after failing to hold onto their first-half lead.
Preview (Vietnam vs. Indonesia)
Vietnam led the top-ranked team in Asia minutes before the half. They looked set to pull off a stunning upset in their first-ever match on Sunday. Sadly, Pierre Troussier’s team was unable to hang out until the halftime whistle. It was a crushing blow that appeared to lower their spirits in the last forty-five minutes. Despite the loss, their seasoned French manager has given them optimism that they may challenge for the championship this year and potentially advance to the next World Cup. Vietnam is presently positioned to advance to the third round of 2026 qualifying. They finished second in Group F with three points from two games.
Vietnam will realize that nothing is finished yet in the 2019 group stage. The Golden Star Warriors lost their first two group matches in 2019 but proceeded to the knockout stage. Vietnam scored as many goals on Sunday as they did in their two previous games combined. They coming into this encounter on a three-match losing streak in all competitions. Vietnam has only scored one goal in the last seventy-five minutes of play in this competition. They have allowed a goal in the second half of three straight competitive games.
Over the past few months, Shin Tae-yong’s team has played a somewhat careless defense. They have given up multiple goals in three of their previous four games across all competitions. Except for a 0-0 draw against Kuwait in 2000, the Indonesians have given up in all but one of their past three Asian Cup games. They have also given up multiple strikes in two of their past three games. Their last victory over the Golden Star Warriors came in December 2016 (2-1).
Team News
On the first day of play, several young players made an appearance for the Vietnamese team. Le Pham Thanh Long made his third appearance for the national team, while Nguyen Van Truong and Nguyen Filip earned their second caps for the senior squad. Nguyen Van Toan is two caps short of sixty, Captain Do Hung Dung is one cap shy of forty, and Vu Van Thanh needs five more to achieve fifty. On Sunday, Nguyen Dinh Bac scored five minutes after Japan took the lead, and Pham Tuan Hai gave them an unexpected advantage after thirty minutes. These goals were each player’s second and fifth international goals.
Asnawi Mangkualam, the Indonesian captain, had a muscle injury a few days before their first game, raising questions about his health even though he played against Iraq before being substituted at the half by Witan Sulaeman. In their first match, Pratama Arhan made his 40th appearance, Justin Hubner earned just his fourth cap for the national team, and Yakob Sayuri is now just two caps away from reaching 20. After conceding the winner deep into first-half stoppage time and giving up another goal in the second half, Marcelino Ferdinan momentarily pulled his team level with Iraq with his third goal for his country.
Vietnam 2-1 Indonesia
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