The Spanish coach, Javier Cabrera, highly praised the Vietnamese national football team following their 3-0 friendly win over Bangladesh. He believes coach Kim Sang-sik has many talented and strong players at his disposal, giving Vietnam a strong chance to beat Malaysia in their upcoming final Asian Cup qualifier.

Cabrera specifically highlighted the impact of naturalized players like Xuan Son and Hoang Hen, stating they "further increase their strength". He also observed Vietnam's tactical prowess, noting, "Regarding their playing style, Vietnam maintains good positions and effectively exploits spaces or set-piece situations."

In the friendly match held on 26/3 at Hang Day Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam displayed complete control and dominance against Bangladesh, a team ranked 78 places below them in the FIFA rankings. Vietnam scored three goals in the first half through Pham Tuan Hai, Pham Xuan Manh, and Nguyen Hai Long. Despite numerous clear opportunities missed in the second half, including Do Hoang Hen hitting the post and Pham Gia Hung striking the crossbar, Vietnam maintained their advantage.

Coach Javier Cabrera spoke at the press conference after the friendly match where Vietnam defeated Bangladesh 3-0 on the evening of 26/3 at Hang Day Stadium, Hanoi. *Photo: Hieu Luong*

Bangladesh, conversely, focused primarily on defense, creating some counter-attacking opportunities but failing to put significant pressure on the hosts. Their best chance came in the 20th minute with a long-range shot by defender Foysal Ahmed Fahim, which goalkeeper Van Lam saved. Coach Javier Cabrera expressed disappointment with his team's first-half performance but noted improvement in the second. "While Vietnam converted their chances into goals, we did not, due to a lack of skills. That is what I regret most", he shared at the post-match press conference.

Bangladesh has been eliminated from contention for the Asian Cup 2027, currently sitting third in Group C with 5 points, 8 points behind leaders Singapore. However, Cabrera saw positives from the second-half performance against Vietnam for their final match against Singapore. Vietnam had already secured an early spot in the Asian Cup 2027 finals after Malaysia was handed a 0-3 defeat by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for fielding ineligible naturalized players. This victory over Bangladesh therefore served as good preparation for Vietnam's return leg match against Malaysia on the evening of 31/3 at Thien Truong Stadium, Ninh Binh.

Duc Dong