1. A few hours before the match, Vietnam's chance to qualify for the third round of the 2026 World Cup was completely closed following Indonesia's victory over the Philippines.

Despite this, fans still hoped that coach Kim Sang Sik and his team would put up a strong fight or even secure a win against Iraq, who had already qualified early, despite having to play on their opponent's field.

In fact, the Vietnam team did create certain difficulties for Iraq and managed to score, particularly as Iraq fielded many reserve players in their starting lineup.

2. It was evident that this was not a match of high professional quality, although both teams played openly and managed to score four goals within 90 minutes.

The 3-1 score in favor of Iraq accurately reflected the situation, the developments, the number of opportunities, and the capabilities on the field compared to the Vietnamese team, making the defeat of coach Kim Sang Sik and his team understandable.

The Vietnamese team's defeat against Iraq left many regrets. Photo: IFA

Had the West Asian team played to their full potential or used all their strength, Nguyen Philip and his teammates might have faced a more significant loss and found it more challenging to create scoring opportunities.

This is not to deny the efforts of coach Kim Sang Sik and his team, but clearly, the Iraqi defense, midfielders, and strikers did not exert their full effort against the Vietnamese team.

3. Is it a pity that the Vietnamese team lost to a strong opponent despite creating more scoring opportunities? The answer lies in the starting lineup and the changes coach Kim Sang Sik made for the away match.

Coach Kim Sang Sik changed four positions in the starting lineup and used all the substitution rights, but not entirely effectively, as Vi Hao, Van Vu, and Tan Tai (Dinh Trieu's case is difficult) did not play after two matches.

Notably, Van Khang and Quang Hai still did not perform well but continued to be used, leading to further regret.

It is unfortunate that the Korean strategist missed the opportunity to screen and test personnel in a match where the result was no longer significant, especially after the third qualifying round spot for the 2026 World Cup had already been awarded to Indonesia.

Along with Iraq's loose play, the Vietnamese team failed to learn any important lessons, making the defeat all the more regrettable.

Dai Nam