Vietnamese striker amongst players to watch in Group B: AFC

Forward Nguyen Tien Linh (second from right) and other Vietnamese players at a training practice in the UAE (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Forward Nguyen Tien Linh has been chosen by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) amongst players ‘who could make a difference for their teams’ in Group B at the final round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers.

The AFC said the game against China could be the opportunity Linh needs to quench his thirst for scoring.

“Becamex Binh Duong striker Nguyen Tien Linh was Vietnam’s main source of goals in the previous round of qualifying, and the 23-year-old remains the spearhead of their attack in the AFC Asian Qualifiers, albeit one that hasn’t yet managed to hit the target in the opening ties,” the AFC wrote on its website.

It went on to say that Linh, aided and abetted by talented playmaker Nguyen Quang Hai, “will be keen to rediscover his goal-scoring touch and fire Vietnam to a historic first victory”.

At the training session of the team (Photo: VFF)

The game will kick off at 0am on October 8 (Vietnam time).

Vietnam lost to China in all their previous six face-offs.

Vietnamese players have been thoroughly prepared for the match and will join a training session at the Sharjah Stadium in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the venue of the game, on October 6.

The match will be played without audiences due to COVID-19, according to the stadium's managing board.

Both Vietnam and China collected zero points after their two opening matches.

The Vietnamese team was defeated 0-1 by Australia and 1-3 by Saudi Arabia, while China lost 0-3 to Australia and 0-1 to Japan.

This is the first time Vietnam have ever played in such a round of World Cup qualifiers. Vietnam are in Group B along with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, China and Oman for a berth at the 2022 Qatar World Cup./.