Goalkeeper Nguyen Filip is expected to shine at the 2023 Asian Cup. (Photo courtesy of Hanoi Police FC) The Vietnamese team recently convened over the weekend to commence preparations for the 2023 Asian Cup. After medical examinations, three players, Nguyen Van Lam, Nguyen Duc Chien, and Nguyen Thanh Nhan, have not fully recovered from their injuries and will not be able to join the team for the continental event. It is expected to take approximately three more weeks for them to resume training.
In light of this, head coach Philippe Troussier excluded them from the team, prioritising their well-being and allowing them ample time to rest and regain their optimal condition. The aim is to reunite in March 2024 for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Lam's absence is particularly disheartening since he has been the team's No 1 goalkeeper under Troussier's guidance.
Born in 1993, Lam from Binh Dinh Club was in excellent form in the V.League 1 before sustaining the injury during the match against Hai Phong on December 27, where he had to leave the field during the second half.
Lam was also the national team's primary goalkeeper during the tenure of Korean coach Park Hang-seo. Together, they secured victory in the AFF Cup 2018, reached the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup, and advanced to the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup for the first time in Vietnam’s football history.
In the absence of Lam, Troussier has the option to call up goalkeeper Nguyen Van Viet from the U23 team while consider another strong performer in the V.League 1, Tran Minh Toan, of Binh Duong.
It is expected that the goalkeeper position will be entrusted to Filip of Hanoi Police Club, who possesses significant experience playing in Europe.
Filip has acquired Vietnamese citizenship and spent eight years competing in the Czech Republic national championship before signing a three-year contract with the Police. He had notable stints with Slovan Liberec and Slovacko clubs, including earning the title of the best goalkeeper in the Czech Republic while playing for Slovan Liberec. He also participated in two seasons of the Europa League group stage.
The Vietnamese team are currently training at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Centre in Hanoi. They will depart for Qatar on January 5 for further training and have a friendly match against Kyrgyzstan on January 9.
The 2023 Asian Cup finals will be held from January 12 to February 10, featuring 24 teams divided into six groups, with the top two teams from each group and the four best third-place teams advancing to the round of 16.
Vietnam are placed in Group D and will face Japan on January 14, Indonesia on January 19, and Iraq five days later.
As a reward for participating in the Cup, the team will receive a bonus of 200,000 USD from the Asian Football Confederation. If they reach the semi-finals, the prize money could increase to 1 million USD. The runner-up team will be awarded 3 million USD, while the champion team will receive 5 million USD.
In the previous two editions of the tournament in 2007 and 2019, Vietnam performed admirably by reaching the quarter-finals./.
VNA
