AFC highly appreciates Vietnam team before match with Japan

(Dan Tri) - The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) highly appreciated the Vietnamese team and coach Troussier before the match against Japan at 6:30 p.m. on January 14.

The match between Vietnam and Japan in Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup is highly anticipated. The AFC is also paying special attention to this match. This is the first time Coach Troussier has met the Japanese team since leaving the coaching position of this team in 2002.

AFC đánh giá cao đội tuyển Việt Nam trước trận đấu với Nhật Bản - 1

The Vietnamese team has caused many difficulties for Japan in recent years (Photo: Tien Tuan).

Before the match, AFC highly appreciated the Vietnamese team. They commented: "The Vietnamese team once had a golden generation under coach Park Hang Seo. In three encounters with Japan, coach Park Hang Seo's Vietnamese team always caused difficulties for the opponent. At the 2019 Asian Cup, the "Golden Star Warriors" lost 0-1 to Japan. They only lost after a penalty kick by Ritsu Doan. After that, the Vietnamese team faced this opponent twice more in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. They only lost 0-1 at My Dinh Stadium and excellently held the opponent to a 1-1 draw away from home. Now, the Vietnamese team is led by coach Troussier. He had achieved success with the Japanese team in the past when he attended the 1998 World Cup.

AFC đánh giá cao đội tuyển Việt Nam trước trận đấu với Nhật Bản - 2

Coach Troussier has achieved success with Japanese football in the past (Photo: JFA).

He contributed to shaping the talented generation of Japanese football with faces such as Hiroshi Nanami, Naohiro Takahara, Shunsuke Nakamura and Shinji Ono. Also with this generation, Coach Troussier helped the team of the Rising Sun win the 2000 Asian Cup. Coach Troussier was the one who laid the foundation for Japanese football to develop like a storm. He will meet his old team again after two decades away. There, Coach Troussier created the most successful period of his career". AFC also believes that Coach Troussier did not necessarily fail in his early time leading the Vietnamese team. They added: "Coach Troussier won 3, lost 3 out of 6 friendly matches with the Vietnamese team. In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, they won against the Philippines and lost regrettably to Iraq. Anyway, the "Golden Dragons" still have a chance to continue in this tournament".