Australia were a much better team: assistant coach

“Australia had a great game. We knew that we would defeat Vietnam. The quality of the team is much better than the opponents and we turned that into a specific result,” Meulesteen said in the post-match conference.

On home ground, Australia edged out Vietnam with 61 percent of possession, had 17 shots compared to Vietnam’s eight and scored two goals in each half of the game.

Meulesteen coached Australia in this game after their head coach Arnold Graham contracted Covid-19. He completed the job, helping Australia to secure three points and keep up with Saudi Arabia and Japan in the group.

In the first leg, when Vietnam got to play at home, Australia had won 1-0.

“The first leg took place in Vietnam and we had trouble with the humid weather and the pitch quality. In the second leg, we played on our home ground. The team created many chances to score. It’s been a long time since we played with the support of the home fans,” Meulesteen said.

Tom Rogic was chosen man of the match. He assisted with the first goal before scoring the second himself.

“Rogic deserves to be man of the match. He had great positioning, ball control and finishing.”

In the next game, Australia will play Oman, while Vietnam take on China at home on February 1.