Don't be outdone, take the initiative to attack
After the match, Russian coach Valeri Karpin said that the Vietnamese team is not yet a strong team at the European level.
But overall, based on the 90-minute performance, the coach still saw some positive points and praised the home team: "The Vietnamese team is skilled, has some good players and created some notable attacking opportunities."
In the two halves, the Vietnamese team under the leadership of coach Kim Sang-sik showed initiative and boldness in organizing attacks or counter-attacking.
Using Hoang Duc as a false 9 at the beginning of the match can be considered a good test by Mr. Kim. His ability to move freely, skillfully maneuver, and good tactical vision helped Hoang Duc somewhat stretch the Russian defense, creating enough space behind him for a real striker like Thanh Binh to penetrate on the left flank.
Besides, we cannot fail to mention the smooth cross-line passes or triangle combinations in the middle of the Vietnam team.
In the first half alone, the red team had two unexpected breaks, forcing the Russian defense to quickly retreat to cover. If Hai Long and Thanh Binh had been better and quicker when breaking through to receive their teammates' passes in the middle of the field, the Vietnamese team would have had a chance to score against their opponents.
Coach Kim Sang-sik's attacking plans are considered diverse and contain surprises in many positions. The transition of the Vietnamese team does not only depend on the midfield.
For example, in the second half, Que Ngoc Hai made two accurate long passes, opening up two remarkable finishing moves. In the 75th minute, he cleverly passed the ball behind the Russian defense for Tuan Hai to run down, but unfortunately, this striker lacked a bit of speed and strength to finish the goal.
3 minutes later, Que Ngoc Hai continued to have a situation of passing the ball to the right wing for Bui Vi Hao to shoot from a distance. However, this young player's kick was not really dangerous.
The return of Thanh Chung, a pity for Van Lam
Lacking a bit of strength and speed in the attack, the Vietnamese team scored a goal. On the contrary, the defense also lacked a bit of luck, alertness and certainty to avoid conceding a goal.
The first goal came from Van Truong's indecisiveness in sticking close to the Russian player after Van Lam pushed the ball away. Hai Long himself was also in the wrong position, creating an opportunity for the opposing team to combine and score.
The second goal came from an unexpected scenario. In fact, the high pressure from the Russian team at that time was not strong enough to force the Vietnamese defense to rush with the ball passes at home.
Then, on the final pass from Van Thanh, goalkeeper Van Lam made a mistake when he missed the ball, causing his team to concede a goal. It cannot be denied that the bad pitch caused the ball to bounce unnaturally, but Van Lam's footwork also needs to be seriously considered by himself. This was not the only time in this match that Van Lam made a mistake when kicking the ball with his feet.
Above, Van Lam's teammate Thanh Chung marked his return to the starting lineup with a commendable performance. Notably, in the first half, he made two consecutive saves for his team right before the goal line. This was a bright spot for Vietnam's defense in this match.
Overall, the performance of the Vietnamese team still has many limitations, but we cannot deny some positive aspects in the playing style.
There are only 3 months left until the AFF Cup, coach Kim Sang-sik and his players need to quickly complete the squad and tactics to best prepare for the upcoming important goal.
