Vietnam forward says ‘practiced a lot’ for stunning header into Japan’s goal

Vietnam’s Nguyen Dinh Bac gets past a Japan defender in the Asian Cup group stage game on Jan. 14, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Thoa

“I’m very happy to score against Japan. This is a great motivation for me to try harder in the next matches,” Bac said after the match. “About my header goal to equalize 1-1, we had practiced that a lot in advance. The goal was a result of great teamwork and training.”

Japan are the strongest team in Asia, placing 17th on FIFA ranking, 77 places above Vietnam. They were also in their best form before the Vietnam match with 10 consecutive wins, scoring 45 goals and conceding only five. In this Asian Cup, Japan brought a star-studded squad with 20 playing in Europe.

But on Al Thumama Stadium in Qatar, Vietnam had a performance that exceeded expectations. After letting Takumi Minamino open the scoring in the 11th minute, Vietnam equalized five minutes later with Bac’s header, before Pham Tuan Hai scored from a tap-in after Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki could not cleanly save Bui Hoang Viet Anh’s header in the 33rd minute.

Vietnam could not keep the lead and lost 2-4 eventually.

Bac said Vietnam played well against a strong opponent and showed that they were not easy to beat.

The 19-year-old forward said that playing against a strong opponent like Japan was valuable for him to learn and develop.

Bac also honored coach Philippe Troussier for giving him and his teammates the necessary confidence in their Asian Cup’s opening match.

“Coach Troussier gave us confidence so we could show our best and give the audience a good match,” he said.

“The team lost, but we will keep our heads up and try to play better in the next two matches of the Asian Cup group stage.”

Vietnam will play Indonesia on Jan. 19 and Iraq on the 24th.