Indonesia, 29 January 2026 – Early in the afternoon of January 28, the Vietnam futsal team returned to the training court in Jakarta with high spirits, turning their attention to the next challenge against Lebanon in Group B of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026.
The thrilling 5-4 victory over Kuwait on January 27 gave Nguyen Manh Dung and his teammates a strong advantage in the race for a quarterfinal spot. However, with two tough group matches still ahead, the journey is far from over. As soon as the squad regrouped for training, coach Diego Giustozzi repeatedly reminded his players to put the opening win behind them, stabilize their emotions, and maintain maximum focus for the upcoming fixture.
With less than two days to prepare for the clash with Lebanon and after enduring a match that lasted nearly two hours, the Argentine coach opted for a light recovery session. Toward the end of training, he fine-tuned defensive organization and worked on finishing accuracy for key attacking positions such as pivo and ala. The team trained at 13:00 as well, a deliberate choice to help players adapt to the official kick-off time of the Lebanon match on the afternoon of January 29.
Speaking to the media, Giustozzi admitted that Vietnam’s finishing still needs improvement, despite scoring five goals against Kuwait. “I think we should not be satisfied with our conversion rate. In the previous match, we could have scored one or two more goals. But that game is in the past. We must forget it and focus on Lebanon, and think about how to score against them,” he said.
Lebanon previously lost 0-4 to Vietnam in the Asian Cup qualifiers, but the upcoming meeting is expected to be very different. The West Asian side have appointed a new Spanish coach and are determined to revive their hopes of progressing from the group.
“I want to repeat the result we achieved in the qualifiers. However, this is a different match. They have changed their coaching staff, and I believe they are stronger defensively now. This will be a very difficult game because we do not like facing teams that defend solidly. That is why this match will require calmness, patience, and adaptability from the Vietnamese players,” Giustozzi analyzed.
Anh Minh
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