VIETNAM able to withstand Japan, a sign that Shin Tae-yong brought the Indonesian national team to destroy Kuwait and Jordan in the third round of the 2023 Asian Cup Qualification? Just to note, Vietnam has just made a surprise.
Coming to Japan’s headquarters in the final match of the third round of the 2022 World Cup Qualification in the Asian zone, Park Hang-seo’s squad was able to end the match with a score of 1-1!
Even the Golden Star squad – Vietnam’s nickname – took the lead through Nguyen Than Binh’s action in the 19th minute. Only in 55 minutes did Japan equalize through the defender who is now playing for Sampdoria, Maya Yoshida.
Although in the final standings of the third round of the 2022 World Cup Qualifications, the Asian zone sits as caretaker, the Vietnam squad still celebrates the success of holding back Japan. At the end of the match, Nguyen Quang Hai took a photo session at the Saitama Stadium which is the venue for the match.
The success of holding back Japan made Vietnam move up two positions in the FIFA rankings in March 2022, to be precise from ladder 98 to 96. Now the question is, will Vietnam’s success above make the Indonesian national team able to beat strong teams like Kuwait and Jordan in the third round of the 2023 Asian Cup Qualification?
For your information, the Indonesian national team is in Group A with the hosts Kuwait, Jordan and Nepal. Only the group winners and the top five runners-up will be allowed to qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup.
Borrowing the Vietnamese mentality, the Indonesian national team could actually embarrass Jordan and Kuwait. Vietnam is able to hold back Japan, which is ranked 73 steps ahead of them (Japan currently occupies the 23rd position in the world).
Meanwhile, the FIFA ranking of the Indonesian national team with Kuwait and Jordan is not as far as Vietnam with Japan. At the time when the Indonesian national team was in the 159th position in the world, Jordan was in the 91st position and Kuwait (144).
If a positive result is obtained by the Indonesian national team when they meet Jordan and Kuwait, the chance for the Indonesian national team to qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup is very large. Because, in one more match, the Indonesian national team is only faced with Nepal.
Therefore, it is hoped that in addition to skill and physicality, the mentality of the Indonesian national team squad will continue to be developed under the direction of coach Shin Tae-yong. It will be interesting to await the progress of the Indonesian national team in the third round of the 2023 Asian Cup Qualification which will take place on 8-14 June 2022.