Jordan will come out attacking against us: Vietnam coach

Dubai - Vietnam advanced as one of the four best third-placed teams from Group D

Vietnam coach Park Hang-Seo felt that Jordan will come our attacking and they will look to exploit any weakness that they can find when the two sides meet in the AFC Asian Cup round of 16.
Vietnam made it out of Group D at the last moment as one of the four best third-placed teams.
They had lost to Iraq 3-2 and 2-0 to Iran but the 2-0 win against Yemen had kept their hopes alive in the competition.
And now that they have made the cut, Hang-Seo said they will look to make the most of it and make their second quarterfinal since 2007.
They had reached the last eight when they had co-hosted the tournament but went on to lose 2-0 to Iraq.
Vietnam haven't had enough time to prepare for the game at the Al Maktoum Stadium on Sunday, only getting to know their fate on Thursday, but Hang-Seo said it will be all systems go on the morrow.
"We qualified at the last minute. We haven't had enough time to recover but it is exciting to make it to the round of 16," Hang-Seo said in his pre-match press conference at the Al Maktoum Stadium on Saturday.
"We played some strong teams in the competition like Iran and Iraq. Jordan are strong and tomorrow (Sunday) will not be easy. But we will look to find a weakness that we can exploit," he added.
Hang-Seo felt that Jordan will be more offensive against them and he will devise a plan accordingly."Against Australia, they were defensive but against Syria, they were aggressive and attacked more. I think they will be aggressive against us. I hope we can get an early goal and put them under pressure," said the South Korean.
The two sides had met in the Qualifiers for the tournament, with both matches ending in 1-1 and 0-0 stalemates.
But Hang-Seo said Jordan have improved since then and they would be a different preposition.
"They are more stronger than when we met them in the Qualifiers. They are well organised and well prepared. They got top spot in the group and they haven't conceded a goal. They are well prepared. But we have studied them through videos and identified a few things. They are fast and use long crosses," the 60-year-old said.
The Golden Dragons, themselves, have been an improved lot under the South Korean, winning the AFF Championship, finishing runners-up in the AFC Under-23 Championship, apart from reaching the semifinalis at the Asian Games.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Dang Van Lam reckoned it will be tough against Jordan but said that they will give it their best.
"We are happy to make it to the next round. It will be a hard game against Jordan. We have played them twice in the Qualifiers but in this tournament, they have shown they are much stronger. We will try our best for our country and our fans," said Lam.
"We have analysed them through videos and we also have some experience over the three games in the group stage. And we will put those lessons to good use," added the 25-year-old.
james@khaleejtimes.com
- James Jose