Window of opportunity opens as Vietnam's main goalie gets ruled out

Dang Van Lam, the usual number one choice as national goalkeeper, was scheduled to fly from Japan to the UAE on June 2 onwards and train with the team. But, after another keeper at his Japanese club Cerezo Osaka tested positive for Covid-19, coach Park Hang-seo had no choice but to exclude Lam from the Vietnam squad. He will have to pick one the remaining goalies - Nguyen Van Toan (L), Bui Tan Truong (C) and Nguyen Van Hoang - as the main keeper for the remaining three Group G matches.

Truong is considered the leading candidate at the moment. He meets all the team's requirements in terms of physique, experience as well as playing style. The 34-year-old player from the southern province of Dong Thap was summoned to the national team by former coach Henrique Calisto in 2008, when he was 21 years old.
He was the number one goalkeeper of the U-23 squad at the 2009 SEA Games in Laos. Truong played quite well before sustaining a shoulder injury, leading to a 0-1 defeat in the final against Malaysia. In 2010, he made a mistake in the team's 0-2 loss to Malaysia in the first leg of the AFF Cup semifinal.

The mistakes made Truong lose his confidence at the national team level, even though at the club level at that time, he won two V-League championships, two National Cups and two Super Cups with Hanoi FC.
After finishing V-League 2019, Truong decided to retire. But in mid-2020, he sported Hanoi FC's jersey and put in a stable performance. After his team did not lose 14 matches straight, he got coach Park's attention.

Truong smiles as he practices at the Police Officers Club Stadium in Dubai on May 29. He also took on the role as a striker during practice to help train the two junior goalies Hoang and Toan.

Meanwhile, defender Doan Van Hau still has bandages on his right leg, but insists he has completely recovered and is waiting for the opportunity to play.
In an interview before the training session, Hau said: "All three Vietnamese goalkeepers are qualified for the national goalkeeper’s position. Who will be selected depends on how they perform during training and impress goalkeeping coach Nguyen The Anh and coach Park Hang-seo."

Striker Nguyen Cong Phuong in training. The coaching staff said they are paying close attention to players' mental health as they spend long periods in a confined space to avoid getting infected with Covid-19.

The men's national football team arrived in the UAE early on Thursday and have been training daily since.
Vietnam currently top group G with 11 points. They will play Indonesia, Malaysia and the UAE on June 7, 11 and 15, respectively. Two wins out of the three games will secure them a place in the final World Cup qualification round for the first time in history.