Vietnam concluded the last match in the Final Round of the World Cup AFC Qualifiers by drawing 1-1 against Japan on March 29 at Saitama Stadium, Japan.

In the majority of the final round of every FIFA World Cup qualification, the Japanese team plays their home matches mainly at the Saitama Stadium, the largest football-specific stadium in Japan and one of the largest stadiums in Asia. This stadium almost marked the invincible performance of the Samurai Blue since its inauguration of the stadium in 2001.

The result ended Japan’s winning streak at six matches.

Vietnam celebrate its journey at the World Cup Asian Qualifiers in Saitama Stadium, Japan on March 29. Photos: VFF

The Golden Star Warriors opened the scoring from the first and only phase, taking the lead in the 19th minute when Nguyen Thanh Binh headed a corner kick from Nguyen Cong Phuong, leaving veteran goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima helpless. Notably, this match marked Nguyen Thanh Binh’s debut on the national team.

“Japan failed to gel on the pitch and fell victim to a well-organized and highly motivated Vietnam side that pressured the home team’s goal for much of the first half,” reported Japan Times.

Japan captain Maya Yoshida scored the equalizer nearly 10 minutes in the second half after Vietnam’s goalkeeper Tran Nguyen Manh failed to catch the ball.

Delivering the post-match speech, Vietnam’s coach Park Hang-seo said Vietnam faced the absence of many key players due to injuries, Covid-19, and yellow cards. “The Vietnamese team has never been in such a difficult situation, because of a shortage of personnel and as a guest of the top Asian team.” The match demonstrated an attendance of 44,600, the largest home crowd the Samurai Blue have played in front of since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Japan Football Association.

Vietnam’s coach Park Hang-seo after the match against Japan.

“I want to thank the players for their efforts to get one point. Today, many Vietnamese fans came to the field to cheer and support the players to play with the pride of the Vietnamese people,” Park Hang-seo said.

Japan has attended the last six consecutive World Cups and possesses famous stars playing in Europe, having well-equipped football infrastructure and facilities. Meanwhile, Vietnam is lacking many things such as facilities, technical infrastructure, and other aspects.

“Through matches like today, young Vietnamese players will accumulate a lot of experience to improve themselves, and create good competitiveness in the Vietnamese defense,” Park said.

Vietnam for the first time advanced to the Final Round of the World Cup – AFC Qualifiers, gaining four points with one draw and one win against China on February 1.

This is the best result that a Southeast Asian team made in the World Cup tournament. Park said Vietnam should take this milestone to bolster its future journey.

Commenting on AFC page, Austrian-German Thomas Mitterer wrote “I was very impressed by this fixture. I thought Japan would win easily, but football is truly tricky. I send congratulations to Vietnam.”

“Having a draw against one of the strongest teams in Asia like Japan is similar to a win for Vietnam. For Vietnam, 4 points in this journey are just really good for you, including a historic win against China and a courageous draw against Japan. Perfect!” said Michael Howard.

A Thai netizen said “I think team Vietnam did well for the 1st ever appearance at this stage. Vietnam will be stronger and do better next time.”

Japan, the 23rd FIFA team, concluded the last World Cup Qualifying match with 22 points.

Two players of the Golden Star Warriors and the Samurai Blue.