Cambodia U-22 head coach Leonardo Vitorino was disappointed with the performance of his charges in the 4-1 defeat against Vietnam in the Group B match at the Shah Alam Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
In addition, the Brazilian coach also acknowledged about the domination of their opponents in the game, in which he had been confident about a victory in the pre-match press conference.
“Vietnam are a very strong team. Their players own good skills and diversified attacking strategies. They also have a professional football league. Moreover, their U-20 team had the chance to compete at World Cup finals so they definitely have qualified players,” Vitorino said in a press conference, as quoted by Thanh Nien Newspaper.
Vitorino put his belief in the winning stance of Vietnam at this year’s SEA Games despite being in the same race with heavy group contenders such as Thailand and Indonesia.
“In my opinion, Vietnam is the strongest team in Group B. They can go very far at this year tournament,” he added.
Earlier, Cambodia suffered a 2-0 defeat in another Group A match against the Philippines at the Selayang Stadium. They will face defending champions Thailand in the next game on Sunday.