Vietnam team came back Vietnam, prepare for the match against strong opponent Iraq
On the night of November 17, the Vietnam team took a direct flight from Manila (Philippines) to return home, preparing for the match with the Iraq team at My Dinh National Stadium in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
18/11/2023 12:35:09
When Coach Philippe Troussier and his team arrived at Manila International Airport during peak hour, there were many passengers. Having anticipated this, VFF had previously contacted to request support in arranging a separate check-in counter for the team, so check-in took place quite smoothly.
Flight time from Manila to Hanoi only takes about 3 hours. However, because the flight departed later than planned, the team did not arrive at Noi Bai airport until 2:30 a.m. on November 18, instead of 1:40 as expected. Fortunately, at Noi Bai airport, coach Philippe Troussier and his team were assisted in checking in very quickly and boarded the bus arranged by VFF to return to the hotel to rest.
After the 2-0 victory over the Philippines in the away match, coach Philippe Troussier said he was satisfied with his students’ determination, discipline, and adherence to tactics. “The strategy before the match is to control the maximum time, take advantage of space and make reasonable decisions. “The team somewhat did that,” he said. On November 21, the team will have a more important match against Iraq. Therefore, this victory will strengthen the team’s spirit before returning to Hanoi to welcome this opponent.”
This afternoon, November 18, a group of players who played little, did not enter the field and did not have a registration list for the match against the Philippines will go to the field to practice. The remaining group of players are allowed to rest for the best recovery.
Coach Philippe Troussier has 3 days to prepare for the match with the Iraq team. Iraq team is present in Vietnam and is also very determined to get favorable results at My Dinh National Stadium.
In terms of force correlation, Iraq is considered the strongest team in Group F. They also clearly demonstrated this with a 5-1 victory over Indonesia. However, with home field advantage and support from fans, the Vietnam team is expected to create a surprise.
