Japanese coach: "The Vietnamese team taught us a lesson"

Appearing at the press conference, coach Hajime Moriyasu said: "The reality of the match against the Vietnamese team today taught us a lesson, that there is no easy match in the Asian Cup.

Luckily, my players stayed calm, overcame their mistakes, and adapted to the situation in time to win the match."

According to statistics, the Japanese team was not too overwhelming. They controlled the ball 59%, shot 15 times, compared to 6 times of the Vietnamese team.

Coach Moriyasu added: "This match was difficult, especially when we were tied and had to chase. Japan could not play as dominant as the original idea.

Of course, we have some regrets, but the victory still gives the whole team more or less confidence to look forward to the next matches."

Regarding the two goals conceded against the Vietnamese team, coach Moriyasu expressed his dissatisfaction: "Japan must learn from experience when defending in set pieces because opponents always try to find opportunities from such situations.

We had anticipated this risk, because in the second leg of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, we were also scored against by the Vietnamese team after a free kick."

Facing Japan at Al Thumama Stadium (Doha, Qatar), the Vietnamese team started the match without concentration and let Minamino open the score. But the surprise happened when Coach Troussier's team scored 2 consecutive goals to lead 2-1, thanks to Dinh Bac and Tuan Hai.

Conceding a goal, Japan rose up to attack and continuously dominated. At the end of the first half, the pressure from coach Hajime Moriyasu and his team was effective when Minamino and Nakamura continuously scored to help Japan lead 3-2 after the first 45 minutes.

In the second half, the Vietnamese team played a reasonable defense and ensured the safety of Nguyen Filip's goal. However, in the 86th minute, Ueda sealed the final victory 4-2 for Japan after finishing in the penalty area.

Despite the defeat to Japan, the Vietnamese team still had a commendable performance. Coach Troussier's team is confident before the confrontation with Indonesia in the second round of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup at 9:30 p.m. on January 19.