Illustrative photo (Source: vietnamnet.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam are due to take on Lebanon on May 23 and May 25 in a two-legged tie played in the UAE, its final bid to advance to the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup finals in Lithuania in September.
"I am glad to know Lebanon will be our opponent in the playoffs. But I also know that the team has made great progress recently. They even beat Thailand at the Asian championship in 2018," said national coach Pham Minh Giang.
"I think it is a chance is for both sides. If we could manage our opportunities the door will be wide open for us," he added.
Echoing his coach’s view, skipper Tran Van Vu said it is a 50-50 chance and the winner is the one having more determination and making fewer mistakes.
The team consider winning the qualification round their biggest goal of the year and are excited to engage in the upcoming playoffs with Lebanon, Vu noted.
The Vietnamese players are currently gathering in Ho Chi Minh City for a training camp. The squad will take on Thai Son Nam-Sahako in a friendly game on May 14 to select 18 players for the final lineup.
They will then fly to the UAE the following day and face Iraq in a friendly game on May 17 as part of the team’s preparations for the play-off round.
The Asian Futsal Championship, which is a qualifier of the World Cup, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, organisers decided Japan, Iran and Uzbekistan got automatic places in the final based on results in recent tournaments. Four other teams will compete for two remaining berths.
Iraq will face Thailand, while Vietnam will play Lebanon, with the respective winners of the two-legged games to advance to the September 12-October 3 tournament in Lithuania.
Vietnam currently rank 44th in the world, four places below Lebanon. They have not yet met each other in any competition./.
