It’s not over yet for Vietnam, says Tran Dinh Trong
Buriram: Tran Dinh Trong insists that Vietnam are still in contention to advance to the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 quarter-finals despite their 0-0 draw against Jordan in Group D on Monday.
Jordan dominated the tie and had several goal scoring opportunities with Yazan Al Nuaimat placing his header just wide 10 minutes before the break.
Vietnam, meanwhile, had their first real chance through substitute Ha Duc Chinh with the forward’s half-volley in the 83rd minute foiled by Jordan goalkeeper Abdullah Al Fakhori as the points were shared.
The result puts a dent in Vietnam’s Thailand 2020 campaign as Park Hang-seo’s side have to win their final match against DPR Korea and hope the Jordan-United Arab Emirates sees a winner.
“It was a very difficult match for us but we gave it our all to get the best result but we couldn’t score against Jordan,” said Dinh Trong, who came on as a first-half substitute.
“We were just unlucky today in front of goal, the problem with us is the timing when striking the ball. We just couldn’t put it down and that probably cost us the win.
“However, it is not over for us. We are still in this competition with everything to play for and will perform and get the result against DPR Korea.”
Vietnam went all the way to the final of the 2018 AFC U23 Championship in China, only to lose 2-1 against a resilient Uzbekistan side and the Hanoi FC defender believes his team will pull through in their final group game.
“I think we have a good chance to advance into the next round and I believe we will improve when we face our next opponents.”
Group D’s final match day will pit Vietnam against DPR Korea at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on Thursday while Jordan will take on UAE at the Buriram Stadium.
