Vietnamese team convene training for 2019 Asian Cup campaign

ABO/NDO – Coach Park Hang-seo and his Vietnamese squad convened their first training session after the 2018 AFF Cup triumph in Hanoi on the morning of December 21, to prepare for their upcoming 2019 AFC Asian Cup campaign.

The training session on Friday morning mainly aimed to help the players to regain a feel for the ball after a few days off since their 2018 AFF Cup triumph. (Photo: zing.vn)

A total of 27 players have been summoned in service of the mission, including seven newcomers and 20 members of the Vietnamese side who recently won the 2018 AFF Cup trophy, excluding veterans Nguyen Anh Duc and Nguyen Van Quyet, and centre-back Tran Dinh Trong (injury).

At the 2019 Asian Cup, scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates from January 5 to February 1, Vietnam have been drawn in Group D, together with three Western Asian opponents, namely Iran, Iraq and Yemen. This is the toughest group of the tournament, as said by Coach Park Hang-seo.

 

As planned, the “Golden Dragons” will warm up for their Asian Cup campaign with a friendly match against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea team at My Dinh National Stadium on December 25.

Two days later, the Vietnamese squad will travel to Qatar for a training course, during which they will have another friendly with the Philippines. On January 4, 2019, Park Hang-seo and his players will arrive in Abu Dhabi to prepare for their Asian Cup opener against Iraq, scheduled on January 8. The next two group stage matches for the “Golden Dragons” will be against Iran and Yemen on January 12 and 16, respectively.

Forward Cong Phuong (right) impressed with a new curly hair style in the first training session in preparation for the 2019 Asian Cup. (Photo: zing.vn)

Park Hang-seo was in a contemplative mood on the first day the Vietnamese team reconvened. He recently had to bid farewell to a close assistant, fitness trainer Bae Ji-won who has moved to work as a manager in Malaysia’s third division. (Photo: zing.vn)

Seven new faces have been summoned to the national squad by Park for this training course, most of whom are in the U21 and U23 age groups. Viettel FC midfielder Nguyen Hoang Duc (right) is one of the new names. (Photo: zing.vn)

Park Hang-seo and members of the coaching staff spent much time of the first training session to guide newcomers. They were thoroughly instructed in each move. (Photo: zing.vn)

Xuan Truong assisted the Republic of Korea trainers by interpreting their ideas to his teammates. (Photo: zing.vn)

Coach Park Hang-seo exchanged with Dinh Thanh Binh, one of the seven newbies of the national team, via Cong Phuong. (Photo: zing.vn)

Que Ngoc Hai had to train privately due to a pain. However, his injury is not so serious and Hai is expected to recover soon. Ahead of the training course, the Nghe An-born player was elected as the captain of the Vietnamese squad at the 2019 Asian Cup by Park and teammates. (Photo: zing.vn)

(Source: NDO)