Vietnam National Team faces disadvantage before the Asian Futsal quarterfinals

Vietnam National Team will meet Indonesia in the Asian Futsal quarterfinals, and prior to kickoff, Coach Diego Giustozzi’s team encounters an additional setback.

According to the suggestion of Coach Diego Giustozzi, the Vietnam team was granted an extra training session at the quarterfinals venue. This is not an unfamiliar ground for Giustozzi’s team as they previously played here in the last group stage match against Thailand. Nevertheless, the coaching staff still considered this additional practice necessary to give players more time to get accustomed to the court, lighting, and arena atmosphere before the big match.

The inconvenience for Vietnam lies in the training schedule. The quarterfinal match takes place in the evening, but the practice session is set in the early afternoon. To avoid traffic jams, the whole team had to leave the hotel at 12:45 PM. Even in the locker room, Coach Giustozzi had to quickly remind the players of some key points learned from the loss to Thailand, before stepping onto the training court. This situation affects both the players’ physical condition and the quality of the practice.

With only one day left before the match, the training plan was implemented just sufficiently. Vietnam mainly focused on warm-up exercises, then reviewed defensive organization, attacking strategies, and set-piece situations. The coaching staff also prepared the team for a possible penalty shootout scenario, which could be decisive if the match remains tied after extra time. Regarding personnel, Vietnam is reported to have a full squad for the quarterfinals.

Earlier that morning, the organizers held a technical meeting with the quarterfinal teams to register jersey colors, review rules, and finalize match operation details. According to the format, if the match is tied after regular time, two extra periods will be played, and if still undecided, a penalty shootout will determine the winner advancing.

Vietnam futsal team will face host Indonesia at 7:00 PM on February 3rd. Indonesia finished the Asian Futsal group stage undefeated, with two wins and one draw, rightfully claiming first place in Group A. Meanwhile, Vietnam ended as runner-up in Group B. Although they couldn’t challenge Thailand for the top spot, the team achieved their goal of qualifying for the quarterfinals.

Indonesia, the tournament host and ranked 24th in the world, while Vietnam stands 20th in the FIFA rankings. The ranking gap is small, but the home advantage and Indonesia’s rapid improvement make this matchup a real challenge.