Dubai: The Asian Cup round of 16 tie between Jordan and Vietnam will be a meeting of familiar foes but Jordan coach Vital Borkelmans said yesterday the circumstances are now different with the stakes much higher.
The two sides met twice in the UAE 2019 qualifiers, with the matches ending 1-1 and 0-0, but that was before Borkelmans took over the reins from Jamal Ahmad Abu Abed.
"I have seen, with my technical staff, many games of Vietnam. We know they are very strong but we also know their weaknesses," said the former Belgium assistant coach.
"As coach, you work on this and I believe in my players. My players are trained at a high level. We've worked together for seven weeks now and they are amazing players.
"I have talked to my players many times, 'Guys, you've made this [achievement] with what you did at this moment. You know the Vietnam team, you've played two times but that's history. Now is today, and tomorrow is tomorrow."
Jordan were the first team to reach the last 16 after stunning defending champions Australia 1-0, beating a resilient Syria 2-0 and playing to a 0-0 draw with Palestine to finish top of Group B.
Despite their impressive group stage campaign, Borkelmans said that won't mean a thing against Vietnam.
"What happened in the first round is finished for me. For me, it's now about going to the game against Vietnam. I never look back, only forward," he said.
Vietnam advanced to the round of 16 in a more dramatic fashion.
After suffering losses to Iraq (3-2) and Iran (2-0) in their first two Group D matches, a 2-0 win over Yemen, coupled with better fairplay points over Lebanon, saw the Southeast Asians advancing as the fourth best third-placed team.
Vietnam last reached the knockout stage in 2007 when they co-hosted the Asian Cup, but with coach Park Hang-Seo at the helm, the Golden Dragons have enjoyed successes over the last 12 months.
They finished runners-up in the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, reached the Asian Games semi-finals for the first time in the country's history and lifted the Southeast Asian title last month.
Jordan will be another test at the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai, but head coach Park in undaunted by the challenge.
"We have already played strong teams in this competition, such as Iran and Iraq," Park said.
"Jordan are also well organised and well prepared and that's why they got first place in their group ahead of Australia. Tomorrow's match will be tough but we will have to maximise our strengths to win. There are no perfect teams in the tournament, and we will find their weakness."
