Hope India U-17s play better against Uzbekistan, praises Vietnam boss Hoang Anh Tuan

The tactician was not fully enthusiastic about his team’s performance but felt that the result was fair.

India U-17 and Vietnam U-17 played an entertaining 1-1 draw in their opening game of the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup. The game took place at the Thammasat Stadium which saw the Golden Star Warriors take the lead through Le Dinh Long Vu but were pegged back by the Blue Colts in the second half, courtesy of an equaliser by Malemngamba Singh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXk2Gq107AA

In the end, both teams settled for a point with no breakthrough until the final whistle. In the post-match press conference, Vietnam U-17’s head coach Hoang Anh Tuan expressed his team’s inability to play at the level expected of them in the first match of the tournament.

He also spoke about India delivering a good performance and more during the interaction with the media. Here are the excerpts from the conversation:

Draw an acceptable result

Speaking on what he thought about the outcome of the game, Hoang Anh Tuan said, “It is as how we predicted before the match. For the first game, it is always difficult for both teams. I feel that our players were stretched and started losing power in the second half but we cannot take the chance to bring our formation upwards. I think that the draw is acceptable and a logical result.”

Lack of possession

Talking about the fact that the Vietnam U-17 team did not have a lot of possession and if they were trying to protect the one-goal lead, the head coach said, “Our players were not at their level for this game. They did not meet my expectation for the match. After the first goal, it seemed like they lost the game to India so they were able to keep more of the ball.”

A fair chance for all four teams

The tactician is of the belief that since both games were drawn, all four teams have an equal chance to qualify from the group. In this context, he said, “I know that the first two games of the group were draws so it can be considered that all four teams start from the beginning. In my opinion, each game is different, therefore, I hope that Vietnam will approach the game against Japan in a way better than this match and I think that there is a balanced chance for all the four teams.”

Praise for India U-17

Hoang Anh Tuan thought that one point was fair but was not satisfied with his team’s performance. He dismissed the talk of Group D being the group of death and explained how each group is equally strong. He said, “I think one point for both teams, India and Vietnam, is well-deserved. Among the four teams, no one is weak or strong. I show my deep respect to all the teams as I show respect for India today. I think the other groups are also as strong as Group D.”

The head coach concluded the interaction by praising the India U-17 team and said, “The India U-17 team played well today but in my opinion, each game is different. I read the news and I know that India U-17 had a good training camp before coming to this competition. But the training camp is different than an official competition of AFC and Vietnam was not bad today. I hope that in the next match against Uzbekistan, India plays better than today.”