Up to six players are suffering from different injuries. Some of them seemed tired after the SEA Games and the team struggled against the T&T Hanoi club in a draw on December 22.

Tien Thanh (white) cannot play football now because of injuries.

After rejecting young fullback Hoang Quang, the national squad has 20 players who will join the two remaining Asian qualifier round against Lebanon and China. In the first friendly match with T&T Hanoi at the My Dinh Stadium on December 22, Phuoc Tu, Trong Hoang and Tien Thanh could not play because of injuries. Nhu Thanh, Minh Chau and Sy Manh still played though they suffered from minor injuries. Some other players like Dinh Dong, Thanh Hung and Long Giang showed their tiredness after the SEA Games.

The chief coach Henrique Calisto is now on holidays in his home country. His assistants – Tran Van Khanh, Phan Thanh Hung and Nguyen Duc Thang – conducted the team in the friendly match.

For the above reasons, the national squad didn’t play well. T&T Hanoi scored the first gold in the early minutes. Until the last minute of the first half, the national squad gained the balance by the goal scored by Thanh Luong. The second half was very boring.

Today, December 23, the national team went to the coastal city of Hai Phong to play the host in the Lach Tray Stadium on December 24.

Calisto will return to Vietnam on December 28 to prepare for the qualifier match of the Asian Cup 2011 against Lebanon on January 6.

PV