Vietnam aim to satisfy fans in difficult Asian Cup assignment

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HANOI, Jul 7 (AP): Vietnam coach Alfred Riedl said his players will do everything they can to satisfy fans in this soccer-crazy country as it takes on the United Arab Emirates in Group B of the Asian Cup.
"Our chances are there, we believe in our chance," Austrian Riedl told reporters before their clash with the Gulf Cup champions at My Dinh stadium in Hanoi on Sunday. "We will try our best not to disappoint (the fans)."
Hundreds of thousands of fans often pour down the streets throughout the country whenever their national team wins matches in regional soccer competition.
"I think we have the best fans," Riedl said "Their support is very important and they will support us one hundred percent," in Sunday match against UEA.
Vietnam will also take on two-time defending champions Japan and the Asian Games gold medalist Qatar in Group B.
"We hope we can surprise, if you don't think you should not play," Riedl said, adding he has studied the opposition via the Internet and scouting by friends.
United Arab Emirates coach Bruno Metsu said playing a first game against the hosts is always difficult.
"We are not just playing against the team, we also play against the people," the French coach.
Metsu was wary of the threat posed by Vietnam's potent attack which scored eight goals in two friendlies against Jamaica and Bahrain in recent weeks.
Riedl acknowledges his team's chances of reaching the quarterfinals are slim and striving to be the best performed Southeast Asian team would be more realistic.
"We face a really very strong group," he said "Japan is one of the favorites to win the tournament, Qatar won the last Asian games, UAE won the last Gulf Cup, Vietnam could not win any thing until now."
"We are not strong enough, we know this and to be number one in Southeast Asia is our first target," he said.
Riedl first took over as Vietnam coach in 1998, and they lost the Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) Cup that year.
He had brief spells in Kuwait and with the Palestine national team before coming back two years ago.
Vietnam is co-hosting the July 7-29 Asian Cup alongside Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.