Iran has defeated the Philippines and Hong Kong in Group B so far and will meet Vietnam on Sunday.
“We tried to break down the Hong Kong defense and score the first goal. But we let our guard down and they scored through an own goal,” said Soleimani. “During the half-time break, I told the players to press more and we were able to score the goals and take the victory.
“We will be tested again against Vietnam and they will be tough to break down. However, I believe in my players and we are hoping to come out on top.”
Vietnam impressed with its flexibility to secure their second victory with a convincing performance against the Philippines, leaving head coach Nguyen Dinh Hoang proud.
“We started better than we did in our opening match against Hong Kong and created more opportunities – that’s why we got the result,” said the 38-year-old. “Every moment in a match is different. We pressed higher at the start and didn’t allow the Philippines to build their attacks. After that we controlled the game more and focused on scoring.
“I’m happy with the victory because of the players’ efforts – they gave more than 100 percent. Now, we’ll analyze the match against Iran and decide which tactics are most suitable.”
“Our target is clear – we want to win all the way.”