If nothing changes, the expected personnel of the Vietnamese team playing against Iraq in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup on the evening of November 21 at My Dinh Stadium will include: Dang Van Lam, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Vu Van Thanh, Nguyen Thanh Binh, Phan Tuan Tai, Vo Minh Trong, Nguyen Thai Son, Nguyen Tuan Anh (captain), Nguyen Dinh Bac, Pham Tuan Hai, Nguyen Van Toan.

In the opening match of the 2nd qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup against the Philippines, the Vietnamese team won 2-0, with 2 goals scored by Van Toan and Dinh Bac. These two goals, one came from a cross-field pass, the other from a quick counter-attack. However, anyone who watched the entire match could see that the left wing was where many dangerous situations were created for Coach Troussier's team.

Of the three young players from the U.23 group that Mr. Troussier named in the starting lineup when Vietnam met the Philippines, there were two names on the left wing: Phan Tuan Tai and Vo Minh Trong. The French coach's trust was rewarded, as the duo of young players had an impressive performance, becoming the sharpest attackers of the Vietnamese team.

If the opposite corridor (right wing) guarded by veteran defender Vu Van Thanh did not leave much of an impression, then Tuan Tai - Minh Trong continuously created remarkable attacks.

The reason the left wing was effective was because of the understanding between Tuan Tai and Minh Trong. In the diagram, Minh Trong was assigned to play on the wing, but this player constantly changed positions, compensating for his teammates. Meanwhile, Tuan Tai, who is good at playing on the wing, appeared many times at the bottom of the Philippine team's wing to bring the ball inside.

Minh Trong and Tuan Tai created at least two really dangerous opportunities for the Vietnamese team. These two situations were similar, when Minh Trong and Tuan Tai both accelerated down the sideline and then passed back into the space in the second line. Inside, there were always strikers ready to rush up to finish the cross from Minh Trong and Tuan Tai. However, Tuan Hai and Van Toan missed, with favorable shooting angles but both of them sent the ball over the bar. In addition to the two really dangerous opportunities mentioned above, Tuan Tai and Minh Trong also had threatening crosses into the opponent's goal.

Besides the understanding of the young duo, the attacking situations on the left wing of the Vietnamese team also bear the mark of Tuan Anh. The HAGL midfielder actively moved closer to the sideline to coordinate with the group, creating beautiful passing moves and creating opportunities for the junior players to run up.

With their impressive performance in the match against the Philippines, the young duo Tuan Tai - Minh Trong will likely continue to be trusted by Mr. Troussier when the Vietnamese team faces strong opponents Iraq. The left wing of the Vietnamese team is expected to continue to operate effectively to create scoring opportunities against the West Asian team.

The match between Vietnam and Iraq in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup will take place at 7 p.m. today (November 21) at My Dinh National Stadium. This exciting match will be broadcast live on FPT Play and the VFF Channel YouTube channel. In addition, Thanh Nien Newspaper will also report live on thethao.thanhnien.vn .