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"This is the first time that Viettel are competing in a big tournament like ACL, so it’s hard to avoid mistakes. Mistakes are normal in football and the important thing is we will gain more experience from them to prepare for the next games," Gede said Saturday at the post-match press conference.
In their first ever ACL game, Viettel faced a big challenge as Ulsan are the tournament’s defending champions. The team were also missing a few key players in the squad because of fitness issues. However, Viettel played a solid game in terms of defense and Ulsan were lucky, winning because of an own goal at the last minute by defender Nguyen Thanh Binh who was trying to clear the ball from a corner kick.
"We lost the game in a moment of letting our guard down. The players are supposed to do better at decisive moments like that. But I’m really proud of their performance. We have many young players who are playing in this competition for the first time and they were trying their best, using their mind and mentality better than their foot. That’s the beauty of football," said the German coach.
Captain Bui Tien Dung was also upbeat despite the loss.
"Facing the defending champions is never an easy task, especially when it’s our first time in this tournament. The Viettel players showed great mentality and fighting spirit," Dung said.
After the first games of group F, Viettel are third after Ulsan and Thai Champion BG Pathum. In the next game, they will play Kaya Iloilo FC of the Philippines.
AFC Champions League: Viettel 0-1 Ulsan Hyundai.
