(VOVWORLD) - Vietnam’s dream at the 2019 Asian Cup came to an end on Thursday after chief coach Park Hang-seo’s side lost 0-1 to Japan, a candidate for the championship winner.
Vietnamese player Van Toan (9) (Photo: Hoang Linh/VNA)
|
In an article entitled “Vietnam dream ends as Japan benefit from VAR”, Fox Sports Asia spoke highly of the way Vietnamese players played with the giants of Japan.
Reporter Gabriel Tan wrote that the Vietnamese squad showed its true colors with an excellent performance against “too big a hurdle” in the tournament. But a brave charge was not enough for Vietnam to defeat the Samurai Blue.
The Sanspo said Japan faced tough opponents with solid defence. Vietnam were also quick to pull a dangerous counterattack with the noteworthy individual skills of striker Nguyen Cong Phuong, it added.
Malaysia’s The Star newspaper wrote that the Blue Samurai only defeated the Golden Dragons with help from video assistance referee (VAR) technology.
The FourFourTwo online newspaper commented that Japan benefited from the controversial penalty decision using the VAR on the very same day the system was put into use at the tournament. But it was enough to help Japan to continue to the next round.