Despite a 0-2 loss to Japan in their second match in Group I of the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship qualification in Malaysia on Sunday, Vietnam were cheered for their competitive spirit in staging a defensive formation against their stronger rivals.

HLV Miura

Japanese coach Toshiya Miura of Vietnam had to select this playing style to slow down the Japanese opponents who were better than his players in speed, skills, fitness, ranking and experience, according to former Vietnam international Tran Minh Chien.

Despite being attacked, the Vietnamese players deserved praise for maintaining a good formation and distance between players, ex-striker Chien added.

This helped protect the goal frame of Vietnamese keeper Minh Long from dangerous assaults.

The defensive formation left playmaker Cong Phuong with fewer chances as he had to move around in front to disperse Japanese strength in attacks.

During the first half, Phuong had the ball nine times but could coordinate with his teammates only three times and faced challenges from two or three rival defenders in the remaining opportunities.

Japan had ball possession of 60 percent last night.

Both of the goals were scored in the last minutes of the first and second half, Chien noted, adding that the first goal was the result of the talent of Nakajima rather than the mistake of the center defenders of the Vietnamese side.

The other goal in the second half was scored at a rare moment when the Vietnamese defenders were distracted and Nakajima took advantage of the situation to fix the match at 2-0.

After beating hosts Malaysia 2-1 in the opening game on March 27, Vietnam aimed to limit the damage from Japan and will try to score as many goals as possible against Macau on March 31.

Through this method Vietnam hope to maintain second place in Group I and advance as one of the five best second-place teams.

The AFC U23 qualifiers feature 43 football teams divided into 10 groups. According to the rules, the 10 teams who top their group will advance to the finals in Qatar next year.

They will be joined by five second-place squads who have the best results during the qualification round.

Japan now lead Group I with six points, followed by Vietnam and Malaysia with three points.

Macau have been eliminated after losing 0-7 to the Japanese on March 27 and 0-2 to Malaysia on March 29.

Coach Tran Binh Su of Vietnam’s league club Dong Nai said that the 0-2 defeat at the hands of Japan is acceptable.

Miura said after the loss, “We had a hard game with Japan. We will try to rout Macau to advance.

“However, our chances still depend on the performances of the other teams in other groups.”

Source Tuoitrenews