Quang Hai scores, Vietnam wins 2nd match in Korea

The match at noon on November 29 continued to take place at the Gyeongju Smart Dome Stadium, which has air conditioning to limit the effects of the cold weather in Korea.

Daegu FC used a reserve squad, as the main team lost the first leg of the relegation play-off to Asan Mugunghwa FC 3-4 away yesterday, and the second leg will be at home on December 1.

Against a team that was not at its strongest, Vietnam dominated the game and created more scoring opportunities. Quang Hai opened the scoring in the 41st minute, before Nguyen Hai Long headed home to seal a 2-0 victory in the 82nd minute. The score could have been higher if defender Nguyen Thanh Chung's header had not hit the crossbar and striker Nguyen Tien Linh had finished more accurately in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

Coach Kim Sang-sik used 25 players, including four goalkeepers Nguyen Dinh Trieu, Nguyen Filip, Dang Van Lam and Tran Trung Kien. Five central defenders were Nguyen Thanh Binh, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Do Duy Manh, Nguyen Thanh Chung and Bui Tien Dung. Five fullbacks were Ho Tan Tai, Khuat Van Khang, Truong Tien Anh, Pham Xuan Manh and Vu Van Thanh. Seven midfielders were Doan Ngoc Tan, Nguyen Hoang Duc, Nguyen Hai Long, Chau Ngoc Quang, Phan Van Duc, Le Pham Thanh Long and Nguyen Quang Hai. Four forwards were Pham Tuan Hai, Nguyen Tien Linh, Bui Vi Hao and Dinh Thanh Binh.

Five unused players include midfielders Nguyen Van Truong, Nguyen Thai Son, Tran Bao Toan, strikers Nguyen Dinh Bac and Nguyen Quoc Viet.

This is Vietnam's second victory during the training trip to Korea. Previously, on November 27, Vietnam beat Ulsan Citizen 2-0, thanks to goals from Nguyen Tien Linh and Pham Tuan Hai.

Vietnam have another practice match against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on December 1. The former K-League 1 champions will also field a reserve team, as they have to play the first leg of the relegation play-off on the same day against Seoul E-Land.

This training session is part of the preparation plan for the AFF Cup 2024. In the group stage, Vietnam will meet Laos (away, December 9), Indonesia (home, December 15), Philippines (away, December 18) and Myanmar (home, December 21). The team's goal this year is to reach the final.

From this year, the AFF Cup will be renamed the ASEAN Cup, held from December 8, 2024 to January 5, 2025. 10 teams will be divided into two groups, playing two home matches and two away matches, selecting the top two teams and the second two teams to enter the semi-finals. From this round, the matches will be played in two legs in a home and away format, but the away goals rule will not be taken into account.