Coach Troussier (R) shakes hands with his Indonesia's colleague Shin Tae-young after the game at My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi Tuesday.
The 0-1 defeat in Indonesia last week put great pressure on coach Troussier. That was the team's sixth consecutive defeat under the French coach and the second defeat against Indonesia, an opponent that was inferior to Vietnam when coach Park Hang-seo was still in charge of the team.
But despite efforts, they suffered an even bigger defeat at home on Tuesday.
Before the match on Tuesday, the 69-year-old coach affirmed that Vietnam still could decide their own fate if they beat Indonesia, and that would keep their advantage in the competition for second place in group F.
However, that scenario didn’t happen.
Indonesia opened the score in the ninth minute from a corner. Seeing Vietnam conceding so early, Troussier couldn’t do much but sitting there. He used more experienced players like Nguyen Hoang Duc and Nguyen Tien Linh in this game as most fans wished, but could not get a better result for Vietnam.
This is a rare moment when Troussier left his seat and rushed to the sidelines to encourage his players. The French coach was repeatedly criticized for not being enthusiastic during the match, which is way different from the style of his predecessor Park Hang-seo.
Many said that Vietnamese players need him to keep the spirit alive by coming close to the touchline to give the players instruction, instead of sitting still.
Troussier expressed frustration as Vietnam continued to play poorly and continued to make defensive errors. In the 23rd minute, striker Oratmangoen dribbled the ball like there was no one in front of him before shooting from a tight angle, doubling the lead for Indonesia.
Coach Troussier didn’t stand on the sideline for too long. He quickly returned to his seat after finishing his communication with the players.
When the first half ended, the camera caught him walking silently into the tunnel, next to the players who were disappointed and confused because they were two goals down.
In the stands, many Vietnamese fans carried banners demanding Troussier to leave.
Since he took over the national team in February 2023, Vietnam won four and lost 10, a win rate of 28.57%, the lowest among foreign coaches that have led the team before.
At My Dinh Stadium, many fans expressed their disappointment with the French coach.
Before playing in Indonesia five days ago, he bluntly said that 80% of Vietnamese fans expected him to fail and get sacked.
One fan held up a banner with the message "Troussier Out" while others were fed up with the team's performance at My Dinh. This is the first time in 20 years that Vietnam have lost to Indonesia at home.
On the field, Troussier continued to make adjustments but they were ineffective. This is the moment he discussed with his assistants before putting Nguyen Van Toan and Ho Tan Tai on.
In the end, Troussier still didn't use Nguyen Quang Hai, one of the best midfielders in Vietnam at the moment and the player repeated held his head in disappointment on the bench. He didn’t get to play a single minute in two games against Indonesia.
