After falling to Indonesia 0-1 on Friday night, Vietnam was eliminated for the first time from the Asian Cup group stage.
Indonesia made no secret of its desire to put pressure on Vietnam and take the lead early on. In the opening minute, they had their first opportunity on goal, but Filip Nguyen, the goalie, saved it.
Due to their midfield’s inability to maintain possession like they did in the match against Japan, Vietnam didn’t play at its best in the first half. Due to injuries, the squad also lacked its great player Nguyen Dinh Bac for this game, and Nguyen Van Tung, who replaced him, fell short of expectations.
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The Indonesian team, which had players with superior physical attributes, frequently prevailed in one-on-one matches and committed a lot of fouls.
Just as Vietnam began to regain control, Indonesia scored the first goal. When Nguyen Thanh Binh tugged Rafael Struick’s shirt within the box in the 40th minute, the referee pointed to the spot. Without error, Asanwi Mangkualam converted the penalty to give Indonesia the advantage.
Vietnam made two substitutes in the first half; one of them performed well and the other did not. Khuat Van Khang had multiple opportunities to score after entering the game, but his shot lacked enough accuracy to be successful. Nguyen Tuan Anh had a wonderful opportunity to score in the 55th minute thanks to a ball from Vo Minh Trong, but he put it over the bar
Le Pham Thanh Long, the other replacement, was unable to have an effect. He was given another yellow card eight minutes after fouling Marselino Ferdinan in the 83rd minute.
In the remaining time, Vietnam’s 10-man force was unable to breach Indonesia’s strong defence, despite their best efforts.
Vietnam lost the match 0–1, which also resulted in their early elimination from the Asian Cup group stage. On January 24, they will play their final game against Iraq.
