Vietnam hope to make history at Asian Games, coach says ahead of UAE clash

The Vietnam squad is on the verge of advancing to their first-ever Asian Games quarterfinal, if they can beat the UAE, the silver medalists at the 2010 Games in Guangzhou, China, at 0700 GMT today in Incheon, South Korea.

Miura said he is “50 percent upbeat, and 50 percent realistic” about the match, where both teams will use under-23 players, as per the Games policy.

The Japanese-born coach hasn’t lost since he took the helm of the Vietnam squad in May. Miura said he wants another win to retain that string of victories.

Vietnam earned a spot in the last-16 as Group H leaders, while UAE were the runners-up in Group G, behind India. Four-time gold medalists Iran failed to make it through the group stage following ashock 1-4 defeat to Vietnam, and a 1-1 draw with Kyrgyzstan.

The Vietnam boss said he had been fully briefed on the UAE’s last group stage match, where they lost 1-0 to Jordan on September 18, and acknowledged two or three ‘dangerous’ players from the Middle Easter sides.

The UAE are a strong team in Asia, and they hold an upper hand against Vietnam, Miura admitted.

But, he added that he has inspired and energetic players with burning desire for victory.

With all of his players at least 1.75 meters tall, Miura is confident that Vietnam faces little difficulty when dealing with tall rivals or fighting for high balls.

Vietnam will use quick ball movements in the UAE clash, and the players have been practicing many different kinds of free kicks, the coach added.

Miura also appreciated the enthusiastic cheering of Vietnamese fans in their group stage matches.

While there were only 200 Vietnamese supporters at the Vietnam – Iran match on September 15, around 1,000 fans came to cheer when Vietnam defeated Kyrgyzstan 1-0 on Monday.

The coach said the supporters actually inspired his players to triumph, adding that he hoped to see even more fans at the last-16 match, where the team can make history.

Meanwhile, the UAE coach, Ali Ibrahim, told UAE newswire The National on Thursday that he is confident of his side’s chances for victory over Vietnam.

“Indeed, they have been impressive, but I believe my team is equally strong and has the quality to win against them,” he was quoted as saying.

“We had a good break and have prepared well during this period, knowing who we are meeting.”

Ebrahim also told The National on Tuesday that facing Vietnam in the round of 16 is “no surprise” for them.

“The moment Iran were beaten and we finished second in our group, it became very clear we would meet them,” the Emirati said.

UAE had expected to finish first in Group G, and for Iran to top Group H.

“That didn’t happen, but here we are still facing Vietnam,” the coach said.