Key defender injured right before Japan clash

By Lam Thoa   November 10, 2021 | 11:06 pm PT
Key defender injured right before Japan clash
Defender Tran Dinh Trong (L) during a training session. Photo by VnExpress/Nam Anh
Tran Dinh Trong sprained his ankle during the last training session Wednesday night and will miss the World Cup qualifier against Japan.

After diagnosis, the doctor confirmed Trong will not be able to play and coach Park Hang-seo had to cross him out of the squad list.

21-year-old defender Nguyen Thanh Binh will be his replacement. Binh made direct mistakes in Vietnam’s 2-3 loss against China and was moved to the U23 team, where he performed well and helped the squad qualify for U23 Asian Cup 2022. After that, Park had called him up to the national team again.

Trong is considered one of the top defenders in Vietnam. He didn’t miss a single minute in AFC U23 Championship 2018, where Vietnam finished as runners-up, and the AFF Cup 2018 victory. However, he was struggling with injuries in 2019 and has missed many tournaments since.

In recent training sessions, Trong was fully fit and said he was ready for the Japan clash.

Good news is, Vietnam will welcome back key midfielder Nguyen Tuan Anh, who has fully recovered from injuries.

Vietnam are at the bottom of group B with zero points after four games, while Japan are fourth with six points. The game will start at 7 p.m. Thursday and be reported live on VnExpress International.

 
 
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