Coach regrets that Vietnam could not score more against Singapore

“The team have won and achieved today’s goal,” coach Troussier told the press after the match.

“The players followed the rules, knew how to put their teammates in a favorable position to coordinate as intended. But if they could finish better, we could have probably won one or two more goals,” he said.

Vietnam won 3-1 against Singapore in their second game in Group B of SEA Games 32, held in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh Wednesday.

Goals from Van Tung, Thai Son, and a Singapore’s own goal helped the defending champion to a 3-1 victory, taking the top spot of Group B.

The French coach praised Vietnam’s team players for being able to control the tempo of the game to play well for more than 90 minutes.

“Today, they started the game at 4 p.m. when the weather was harsh but in general, the players coordinated well to maintain an overwhelming game from beginning to end,” he said.

However, he noted that the team have only learned to control the ball for a short time. They have been playing either too fast or too slow, which is evidenced by many incorrect crosses in the second half.

But he believes the team will improve over time.

Singapore’s coach Philippe Aw said Vietnam deserved the victory as they were at a higher level.

“The Vietnamese players possessed better techniques. They played better, and their agility caused us a lot of trouble,” Aw said after the match.

Vietnam played a much better match against Singapore after an uninspiring display in their first match against Laos. Against a Singapore team intending to play on the counter, Vietnam dominated most of the match.

Coach Philippe Troussier’s team opened the scoreline after a tidy counterattack in the 35th minute. Van Do made a quick run, then passed to Van Tung, who finished to make it 1-0. Eight minutes later, Thai Son’s shot deflected off defender Bah Bill and went into the net, and it was 2-0 to Vietnam.

Singapore pushed higher in the second half hoping to score. However, Vietnam still created more chances, and in the 79th minute, from substitute Van Khang’s cross, Ilhan Noor, who also came on in the 2nd half, put the ball in his own net.

Singapore got a consolation goal in the 93th minute, when Tien Long’s kick accidentally sent the ball over Van Chuan and into his own goal.

Winning 3-1, Vietnam have taken the top spot of group B, before facing Malaysia and Thailand next week.