In the post-match report on the homepage of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the continental football governing body said that the Vietnamese team had an explosive second half to beat Indonesia, thereby maintaining their top position in Group G.
“With Malaysia, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates all on nine points, Vietnam needed a win against Indonesia, who have been knocked out of the reckoning for FIFA World Cup qualification, in order to further tighten their grip on the top spot of the group, and coach Park Hang-seo's men duly delivered with an attacking masterclass,” AFC said.
The Vietnamese team completely dominated the game but encountered quite a tough playstyle from the Indonesia team. After a difficult first half and suffered an early loss to midfielder Tuan Anh due to an injury, the Golden Stars really exploded in the second half to score four consecutive goals to satisfy their home fans.
Witnessing their home team beaten by four goals, the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) admitted that the Vietnamese team is at a different level from Indonesia. “The Indonesian national team had to recognise Vietnam's superiority with a score of 0-4 as the 2022 World Cup Qualification continued at the Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai, UAE, on Monday. In the first half, Evan Dimas and his teammates drew 0-0. However, four Vietnamese goals scored in the second half by Nguyen Tien Linh (51’), Nguyen Quang Hai (62'), Nguyen Cong Phuong (67'), and Vu Van Thanh (74') made the Garuda squad suffer defeat”, noted the PSSI’s homepage.
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The Vietnamese team had an extremely tough match, but the class spoke up at the right time to help the Golden Stars successfully overcome Indonesia. (Photo: AFC)
In the Kompas, the daily newspaper was even more bitter for Indonesia's comprehensive defeat when it gave completely overwhelming statistics of the Vietnamese team against the Indonesians: "Judging from the statistics, Indonesia lost in all respects to Vietnam. The Indonesian national team were only able to release four shots on goal throughout the entire match. Of the four, only one was on the target. In contrast, Vietnam dominated with the ball possession at 71%. This dominance helped Vietnam launch a total of 17 shots on goal, of which six were on target, seven were off target and four were blocked."
This was the 6th loss of the Indonesian team in Group G. Kompas said that the defeat against Vietnam made Indonesia sink deeper into the bottom of Group G with only one point after seven matches. This newspaper also believes that the Vietnamese team have been very successful in extending the unbeaten record during the second phase of the 2022 World Cup Asian qualifiers to six consecutive matches.
IndoSport also expressed disappointment at the poor performance by the home team after the loss to Vietnam. "Vietnam showed its strength when confronting Indonesia in the next match of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers yesterday," this site commented, saying that Vietnam is continuing to affirm its leading position in regional football.
“Vietnam 's four unanswered goals became clear evidence that at this time they deserved the status of King of ASEAN. This victory helped Vietnam maintain their unbeaten status in the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers in the Asian Zone. They have recorded four wins and two draws in six games so far. These records make Vietnam managed to maintain their position at the top of the standings with 14 points,” said IndoSport.
In addition, commenting on Thailand's 3-1 defeat to the UAE, IndoSport also said that Thailand, one of the strongest teams in Southeast Asia, had to go down to third position in Group G: " Thailand's chances to claim the top spot of Group G in the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers in the Asian Zone are getting slimmer following Vietnam massacre of Indonesia, making Park Hang-seo's squad even stronger at the top of the standings,” according to IndoSport.
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The Vietnamese team are still firmly at the top of Group G with an undefeated record after six matches played. (Photo: AFC)
Meanwhile, in Thailand, SiamSport also expressed its impression of the Vietnamese team's victory over Indonesia, especially the two goals of two Hoang Anh Gia Lai players, Cong Phuong and Van Thanh. In its article, SiamSport commented: "Vietnam's impressive performance in the second half, with two goals from Nguyen Cong Phuong and Vu Van Thanh, two players of Hoang Anh Gia Lai, the team led by coach Kiatisuk Senamuang, helped defeat Indonesia 4-0, thereby helping Vietnam almost certainly enter the final qualifying round with at least second place in the group, although they will still have to combat with the UAE for a direct ticket for the group winners."
In Coach Park's home country in the Republic of Korea, the local media also shared the same joy with Park’s side. On the daily Jungang Ilbo, Song Ji-hoon said that Park was the one who smiled victoriously in the confrontation with junior Shin Tae-yong, the head coach of the Indonesian team.
On OSEN, reporter Lee In-hwan said that Park has moved one step closer to making history for Vietnamese football by winning the match against Indonesia led by Shin. “With this victory, Vietnam marked 14 points (4 wins, 2 draws), one step closer to the third qualifying round of the World Cup for the first time in history. 2nd place UAE scored 12 points with a 3-1 victory over Thailand. Vietnam can determine the final standings based on the results of the remaining two World Cup qualifiers,” the writer wrote.
After an impressive victory over Indonesia, Park’s side will continue their journey to conquer the ticket to the final qualifying round with their next encounter against Malaysia on June 11, before facing the home UAE for the top spot of Group G in the last match four days later.
