Australia fans complain about pitch conditions in Vietnam clash

By Hoang Nguyen, The QuynhSeptember 8, 2021 | 01:18 am PT
Australia fans complain about pitch conditions in Vietnam clash
Vietnam (L) play Australia in My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on September 7, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Thoa
Many Socceroo fans said the reason Australia underperformed in the World Cup qualifying game against Vietnam might be poor pitch quality.

On Inside Sport, a football forum for Australians, fans expressed their disappointment with Australia’s performance on Tuesday night, marred by bad passing caused by the poor pitch conditions of My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi, though still putting pressure on Vietnam. The Socceroos still won with the only goal scored at the end of the first half.

"The pitch looks super awful though. It makes it hard to judge the weight of passes. First touches are so much trickier than they were against China," user @grazorblade wrote.

"They could have paid a few people to look after the ground before a World Cup qualifier. You got multi-million dollar players on the field. To save $600 you’re going to risk really bad injuries," wrote @Davstar.

"Not sure if the pitch is playing a part but yes our passes were well off. Even the simple balls," @JayEss wrote.

"Playing in such humidity in a cow paddock is far from easy. Can see Vietnam snatching a couple of points if they have any more home games in summer conditions," @CharlieYankos said.

"The Vietnamese attack just handles this pitch so much better than the Socceroos," said @Podiacide.

Vietnamese former star striker Thach Bao Khanh also said poor pitch conditions cost Vietnam a goal.

In the seventh minute, midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai ran into the box facing the Australina keeper. At a narrow angle, Hai intended to chip the ball over the keeper’s head but failed to score.

Khanh said Hai made the right choice and executed the chip correctly. However, due to the bad pitch, Hai couldn’t touch the ball on the right spot. He could’ve scored for Vietnam and the game could’ve gone in another direction.

Nguyen Quang Hai misses a chance to score in Vietnam's World Cup qualification match against Australia in My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi, September 7, 2021.

 
 
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