Argentina Coach: 'Vietnam can definitely defeat Indonesia'

On the morning of January 9, before the Vietnamese futsal team’s training session at the Chanh Hung Futsal Hall (Ho Chi Minh City), head coach Diego Giustozzi spoke with the press regarding the preparation process for the 2026 AFC Futsal Championship.

During the preparation phase for the 2026 AFC Futsal Championship, the Vietnamese futsal team is training intensively at the Chanh Hung Futsal Club (Ho Chi Minh City). Coach Diego Giustozzi stated that compared to SEA Games 33, the squad has important reinforcements as the experienced trio of wings Ngô Ngọc Sơn, Châu Đoàn Phát, and Trần Thái Huy have recovered from injuries and rejoined the team’s training.

Speaking to the media, the Argentine coach openly discussed the squad, tactical plans, lessons learned from SEA Games 33, and his expectations for the team’s future journey.

“I am very pleased to welcome back the three quality wings because they have a significant impact on the playing style of the Vietnamese futsal team. When key experienced players were injured, the younger players stepped up and temporarily filled the vacant positions. Therefore, once the veterans have recovered, they will have to compete to reclaim their original spots,” Coach Diego Giustozzi said.

The Argentine coach also admitted that since working with the Vietnamese futsal team, he has never had the strongest and fully fit lineup:

“Speaking of injuries, I feel very sorry for Hồ Văn Ý’s case. Since I started working with the Vietnamese futsal team, I have never had the strongest lineup. There have always been players injured or absent for various reasons. I just hope the players recover soon so they can return and fully contribute to the team in the near future,” Coach Diego Giustozzi added.

The Argentine strategist emphasized, SEA Games 33 gave him a clearer and more realistic view of the true capability of the Vietnamese futsal team. He stated: “Through this SEA Games, I realized this is the real face of the team. We are capable of competing fairly with strong teams, even defeating Indonesia – the region’s top team. If we play with full concentration and perform at 100%, we can definitely beat any opponent.”

Additionally, Coach Diego Giustozzi frankly acknowledged the significant gap left by captain Phạm Đức Hòa: “Without Phạm Đức Hòa, the Vietnamese futsal team loses a great leader both on the court and behind the scenes. However, this is normal in sports. I am still happy that Hòa remains involved with futsal and has been assigned work at Thái Sơn Nam Futsal Club in Ho Chi Minh City, thus continuing to support the team.”

According to Coach Diego Giustozzi, building a young squad is an essential requirement at this stage. “The young players have shown good playing ability and can definitely help the team compete and win many matches. However, this is still a young group that needs more time to gain experience and composure. We can defeat a strong team in a single match, but to succeed in the whole tournament, we need to maintain consistent performance throughout,”Coach Diego Giustozzi emphasized.