Quang Hai: Vietnam must defeat Jordan
Buriram: Captain Nguyen Quang Hai wants Vietnam to step up after settling for a 0-0 draw with the United Arab Emirates in their AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 Group D opener on Friday.
Park Hang-seo’s men spurned several chances against UAE with Quang Hai coming close on a number of occasions while Nguyen Tien Linh was denied by goalkeeper Mohammed Al Shamsi at the very end.
The result left Vietnam third in the standings with Jordan, who the Southeast Asians must now beat on Monday to boost their chances of advancing to the knockout stage, leading the group after opening with a 2-1 win over DPR Korea.
Quang Hai, who was part of the Vietnam team that finished runners-up in the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, said UAE had proven to be formidable opponents.
“It was a very difficult match indeed with UAE being strong opponents. But we are happy with this result as it is our first match here, so I think one point is acceptable,” said the talented Hanoi FC midfielder.
“I think it was a balanced game – both teams had equal opportunities to score but neither side was able to take their chances in front of goal. So a draw was a fair result.
“We are used to playing such intense and physical type of matches, this is the nature of Asian football and you have to adapt to it.”
The draw, however, means there is no room for error against Jordan and Quang Hai said Vietnam are fully aware of this.
“We need to win the next match, so hopefully the team will improve and get a positive result.”
Three points against Jordan will put Vietnam in a comfortable position before they take on DPR Korea in their final group game at the Rajamangala Stadium on Thursday.
