Nguyen Quang Hai holds his head on the bench as his teammates are being led 2-0 in the game with Indonesia in My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi Tuesday night.
Before the match against Indonesia, the media and fans put pressure on coach Philippe Troussier to use experienced players such as Quang Hai, Nguyen Van Toan and Nguyen Tien Linh. As a result, Tien Linh and Nguyen Hoang Duc were put in the lineup, but Quang Hai, Van Toan and Ho Tan Tai were still benched.
At the beginning of the second half, when Vietnam was losing 0-2, Troussier told the players on the bench to warm up. Among them are Van Toan (L) and Quang Hai (2nd, L).
After Le Pham Thanh Long came on as a substitution after the break, Van Toan and Tan Tai were told to get ready in the 57th minute, while Hai was still benched.
After realizing that he might not get to play in this game, Hai seemed not happy as he returned to the bench. He gestured to show his frustration with the coach's decision.
Many fans also expressed their frustration as Hai is considered one of the biggest stars in the squad.
The 26-year-old emerged as a young star in the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, scoring five goals to help Vietnam finish as runner-up. He later became a key player under coach Park Hang-seo, helping the team win the 2018 AFF Cup and advance to the third qualifying round of the World Cup for the first time. At club level, Hai has won all domestic titles, including V. League, National Cup and Super Cup.
In 2022, Hai became the first Vietnamese to play in the French second division Ligue 2, for Pau FC. However, he rarely got to play and gradually lost his form. In the middle of the 2023 season, Hai returned home and joined Cong An Ha Noi. In this season, he scored five goals and assisted one after 10 matches in V. League.
The midfielder was targeted by the camera many times. He seemed impatient, constantly scratching his head, touching his ears and pulling the jersey over his head.
At that time, Vietnam still have one substitution left. When Khuat Van Khang (number 18) was injured and could not continue, many people thought Hai would replace him because both are attacking players and are left-footed and Vietnam were seeking a goal.
However, coach Troussier brought in defender Vo Minh Trong (L) instead of Hai. The decision was questionable as Trong made a clearance mistake that led to Indonesia's winning goal in their 1-0 victory over Vietnam in the first leg last Thursday.
Hai was disappointed and covered his face to hide his teary eyes. The 2018 Vietnam Golden Ball winner was not used for a single minute in both matches against Indonesia in the World Cup qualifiers.
Despite not getting chose, Hai still cheered for his teammates in the last minutes. At the end of the second half, he and some players stood up and waited for Vietnam to pull something off.
But not only were they unable to score, Vietnam conceded another goal in extra time and suffered a heavy 0-3 defeat. This is the first time Vietnam have lost to Indonesia at home in 20 years.
With this defeat, Vietnam almost ran out of chances in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with only three points, while Indonesia got seven points and Iraq got 12.
Vietnam players showed their disappointment after losing to Indonesia.
