After the 5-4 victory of the Vietnamese futsal team against Kuwait in the opening match of the 2026 Asian Futsal Championship finals held on the evening of January 27, head coach Diego Giustozzi admitted that the Vietnamese futsal team faced many difficulties in the early minutes of the match due to not fully adapting to the playing conditions.
He said: "In the first half, we were not really comfortable with the pitch and the ball. The whole team needed about 10 to 15 minutes to catch up and feel the match, which is normal in a big tournament.
The Argentine coach believes that the difference between the two teams is clearly shown in the bravery and experience of playing for 40 minutes. According to Mr. Giustozzi, despite having a young squad and not really being balanced, the Vietnamese futsal team had an effective second half against an experienced opponent like Kuwait.
In the second half, we played very well, controlled the game better and scored 2 important goals," he emphasized.
Despite winning all 3 points in the opening match, coach Diego Giustozzi still maintains a cautious view when evaluating the performance of his players. He said that this victory is of great spiritual significance, but the whole team still has many things to improve.
The head coach of the Vietnam national futsal team also emphasized the importance of playing in major continental tournaments, when many players experience AFC's playground for the first time.
The difference in matches like this lies in bravery and experience. We won the match, but we need to continue to learn how to play in such difficult circumstances.
With 8 players in the squad, this is the first time they have participated in an AFC tournament. This is a very different arena, where top Asian teams gather," he said.
Overall assessment of the match, the Argentine coach expressed satisfaction with the spirit and playing style of his students, even though he believed that the Vietnamese futsal team could have done better.
I am satisfied with the players. Although there are still some limitations, we still play football in our own way and could have won with a bigger margin," he commented.
Towards the next match against Lebanon, coach Diego Giustozzi predicts a completely different challenge awaiting the Vietnamese futsal team.
He analyzed: "Lebanon often plays deep defense and takes advantage of counter-attack situations. This will definitely be a difficult match, but the players are ready and we will prepare best for this match.
