Vietnam captain shows determination ahead of World Cup qualifiers against China, Oman

By Lam Thoa September 17, 2021 | 04:28 pm PT

Vietnam captain Que Ngoc Hai during a press conference before the World Cup qualifiers game between Vietnam and Saudi Arabia on September 1, 2021. Photo by Vietnam Football Federation

Que Ngoc Hai, captain of the national men's football team, affirmed Vietnam aim for better results in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers this October.

"Both China and Oman are strong teams for sure because they have made it to the final qualifying round. The coaches and players will work harder to figure out the proper tactics. Our goal is to try our best to achieve better results than in the first two games," Hai said before the training session Thursday.

After an eight-day break, the team has returned to training to prepare for the games in October. Compared to their previous two matches, Vietnam made several changes to their squad, with key forward Nguyen Cong Phuong making a return and keeper Tran Nguyen Manh called up to replace an injured Dang Van Lam, along with a few additions from the U22 team.

Vietnam's national football team train in Hanoi, September 16, 2021. Photo by Vietnam Football Federation

Key players currently recovering like Tran Minh Vuong, Tran Dinh Trong, Bui Tien Dung and Nguyen Thanh Chung will train separately with the team’s doctor Choi Ju-young.

Vietnam will play China on Oct. 7 and Oman five days later.

"In the previous two games, the results were not what we expected. But on a positive note, the team has fought with great spirit and showed what we got. We are getting better after each game," Hai added.

After losing 1-3 to Saudi Arabia and 0-1 to Australia, Vietnam are standing next to last among six teams in group B of the final qualification round. According to statistics site We Global, the chance for Vietnam to advance is just 0.28 percent.