On the evening of October 14, at Thong Nhat Stadium (HCMC), the Nepal team suffered a 0-1 defeat to the Vietnam team in the 4th match of Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup final qualifiers. Despite the defeat, the South Asian team showed their steadfastness and caused many difficulties for the Vietnamese team.
Notably, because coach Matt Ross was banned from his duties due to receiving 2 yellow cards, assistant Salyan Khadgi was the one who coached the Nepal team in the match on the evening of October 14. Sharing at the post-match press conference, assistant Salyan Khadgi gave many compliments to the Nepalese players.
"In today's match, we fought resiliently against the Vietnam team. We played well but unfortunately our player hit the net. But we played very well, especially in the second half we created some chances," assistant Salyan Khadgi shared.
"We have a clear strategy, ensuring a solid defense. In the second half, the Nepal team clearly showed their attacking intentions. We attack strongly. If this match is played at home in Nepal, our goal will be to attack more clearly, not defend like today," added assistant Salyan Khadgi.
When asked about the race between Malaysia and Vietnam in Group F. Assistant Salyan Khadgi assessed that Vietnam is the team that deserves a ticket to the final round more after problems related to the naturalization of invalid players by the Football Federation of Malaysia.
He said: "I think the Vietnamese team deserves and has more opportunities to participate in the final round than Malaysia. My intention is also related to recent incidents in Malaysia. If FIFA's penalty is applied, the result may change".
The Ne team is currently at the bottom of Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers after 4 consecutive losses. In the next round, the South Asian team will face Malaysia on November 18. Assistant Salyan Khadgi said that the Ne team will continue to have to choose a stadium in another country as their home stadium in this match.
