Although Cambodia at one point equalized 1-1 and created many chances, the Japanese strategist affirmed that he did not find weaknesses in the home team.
I couldn't find any weaknesses in Vietnam. They played better than Cambodia and I believe they will reach the final," coach Koji Gyotoku said.
Before the question about the Vietnamese team playing somewhat more difficultly after Hoang Duc left the field at the beginning of the second half, this coach said that Cambodia faced challenges throughout the match, regardless of how the opponent's personnel changed.
This match, every time was difficult for us when Vietnam changed many positions, especially in the 2nd half when Xuan Son came on with good skills. It's very difficult to read him," he shared.
Assessing the situation in Group A, when Indonesia won against Cambodia the most heavily but was still eliminated, coach Koji Gyotoku said the difference lies in the preparation process.
This is the first time I have led Cambodia to meet Indonesia. As for Vietnam, it is the second time, so I know how to play against them and have collected some information to have countermeasures. With Indonesia, we don't have much information, so we have to accept such a result," he said.
Despite the defeat, the Japanese strategist was still satisfied with the performance of his students, especially the young players.
Today, some Cambodian players are very young but their performance is not bad. Our tactics today are also not bad. In the first half, the team had a chance and in the second half we scored. However, the next goal conceded had a rather negative effect, after which a player was injured and had to leave the field. Vietnam played well in the final part of the match," he commented.
Coach Koji Gyotoku also admitted that Cambodia does not have the strongest force at ASEAN Cup 2026.
At this time, there are some good players that I have not been able to call up. I don't like saying the word'if', but next time I want to have a stronger squad to play against Vietnam," he concluded.
