>>> Vietnam meet Thailand, UAE in World Cup 2022 qualifying
>>> FIFA: Vietnam pose a threat in Group G
Group winners or runners-up?
The draw for the second round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup joint-qualifiers brought about a surprise that no one would have imagined: the Vietnamese team have been pooled into Group G alongside three ASEAN teams - Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia - and strong rivals UAE. Overall, except UAE who are considered the strongest team in this group, the rest are on a similar level, so the opportunity to move on to the third qualifiers – also the final qualification round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and a ticket to the AFC Asian Cup finals – is open to all.
The second qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup for Asia features 40 teams, divided into eight groups, each consisting of five teams, playing in the home-away format. The eight group winners and four best runners-up will qualify for the AFC Asian Cup 2023 to be held in China as well as the third and final round 2022 World Cup qualifiers. To win the right to qualify for the third round of the 2022 World Cup, Park and his players must win the top spot in Group G or among the four best runners-up from the group phase.
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The 2022 World Cup qualifiers second round draw are considered quite favourable for Vietnam but there are still also unpredictable challenges. (Photo: AFC)
The problem is that if targeting a slot among the four best runners-up, Vietnam need to have as many victories as possible with a high goal difference to gain superior in comparing sub-indexes with other runners-up. However, falling into a group against rivals that are familiar, especially when Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are not inferior to Vietnam, winning with a high goal difference is relatively difficult, because the regional rivals have certainly become familiar with some of Park's tactics, they will also be determined to "revenge" losses they have suffered when facing Vietnam in recent regional tournaments.
Without coming out on top via goal difference it is a huge challenge for Vietnam in competing for one of the four slots in the top four best runners-up. So instead of finishing second in Group G, should Vietnam aim at the top spot, meaning a direct ticket to the next round? This goal is not impossible, although theoretically, among the rivals of the red-shirt team in this group, only the UAE are better than the Vietnamese side. The hosts of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 surpassed Australia in the quarterfinals to make it into the top four teams in the continent. Their strength is not to be underestimated but Vietnamese teams often gain positive results when facing Western Asian rivals. Vietnam once seized a stunning 2-0 victory over the UAE at the AFC Asian Cup 2007 thanks to two goals from Huynh Quang Thanh and veteran striker Cong Vinh. Ever since Park came to Vietnam, the teams under his coaching also played well and often reaped fruitful results against Western Asian teams. The Vietnam Olympic team also drew 1-1 against the UAE and only suffered defeat in the penalty shootout in the 2018 Asian Games third-place playoff.
The remaining three Southeast Asian teams Vietnam all met before. Although they are quite familiar, to beat them is not an impossible task. Malaysia were defeated by Vietnam in both the group stage and the two-leg final at the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup, while hosts Thailand also lost 1-0 to Park’s side at King's Cup 2019. In addition, the Vietnamese team also benefit from not having to move too far if they play away to the ASEAN teams, and it will also be very favourable conditions for the Vietnamese football supporters to travel to cheer on their team.
Therefore, it can be said that Vietnam’s goal for the top spot in Group G is not completely unreasonable, even more feasible than scoring more goals against Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia to finish among the four best second-placed teams.
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Park Hang Seo's side will need to prepare thoroughly before the long campaign at the upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifiers. (Photo: VFF)
Waiting for “magic” Park's tactics
Besides the advantages, of course there will still be difficulties waiting Park and his players. As mentioned above, the small difference in proficiency among the teams in Group G also makes the competition for the top two spots become fierce and unpredictable. Although the UAE may be at a disadvantage as they have to travel very far to Southeast Asia to play away games, they are still the strongest team in this group. The strength of the UAE was shown at the 2019 Asian Cup, when hosts UAE reached the semi-finals and lost only to the reigning Asian champions Qatar. Considering the history of confrontation between the UAE and the Vietnamese team, the West Asian team are still completely superior as they lost only one but won four matches in the last five meetings.
For Thailand, the "War Elephants" have not hid their ambition to go far in the upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifiers, especially when they have just officially appointed new experienced Japanese coach Akira Nishino, who led Japan to the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup. Especially, after losing the top position in Southeast Asian football to Vietnam, Thailand are eager to meet Park’s side again. In addition, both Malaysia and Indonesia are definitely determined to make it difficult to Vietnam. Even Indonesia, the lowest seeded team in this group, cannot be underestimated.
So what are the chances of Vietnam to qualify for the last World Cup qualifying round for the first time ever? In recent years, with the appearance of “magic” Park, Vietnamese football has made remarkable progress, bringing in unprecedented achievements. The position of the Southeast Asia champions and one of the top eight best teams in Asia is creating a lot of excitement and confidence for Vietnamese players and fans, helping to create great motivation for Vietnamese football to go further in the upcoming major tournaments. With Park’s strategy, Vietnamese teams have gradually shaped their play and are able to pull off surprises against stronger opponents. One of the clear indications of this is that Vietnam forced Japan who featuring players in Europe to labour to a hard-fought 1-0 win when the two sides met in the 2019 Asian Cup quarterfinals.
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Besides the familiar faces, Vietnam also promises to be "renewed" by new players that are being scouted by Park. (Photo: VFF)
For the familiar "neighbours", they may have somewhat studied carefully the Vietnamese team and understand their tactics, but in the hands of Park, there are so many factors that may come as a surprise. The 60-year-old strategist probably also took this issue into account, because the Korean coach is eagerly scouting new faces in the V.League 1 – Vietnam’s top professional football league – to renew the national team. It is no coincidence that Park flew to Europe to catch up and directly scout several overseas Vietnamese players.
In the context of the second round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers which will run from September 2019 to June 2020, and will last for nearly a year, Park’ side will need to have the best preparation to be able to go the distance and qualify. In addition, maintaining the form of key players is also a concern, especially when some of the irreplaceable faces in the squad are not in a good form for their clubs recently.
After the resounding successes during the last two years, fans are expecting the team to make history in advancing one step closer to the World Cup dream. Falling into a group that featuring familiar opponents is favourable but also brings certain difficulties. However, with Park's magic, this will be the time for Vietnamese football to reaffirm their position at regional and continental levels, and fans can definitely trust in a new miracle of the “Golden Stars.”
