Nolberto Solano Reflects on Pakistan’s Defeat to Vietnam and Backs Team to Keep Improving

Pakistan head coach Nolberto Solano believes his side showed signs of progress despite suffering a 4-2 defeat to Vietnam in their final FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 group match.

Speaking in the post-match press conference, Solano said Pakistan should not become too focused on the gap between teams in the FIFA rankings, and instead use matches against stronger opposition to understand where the team currently stands.

“The FIFA ranking is just one way to know where we stand. If you only look at the ranking, you can get distracted,” Solano said.

“The most important thing is to participate in tournaments like this and show our competitiveness. Today, we had a great opportunity to play against a strong team. We knew the match would be difficult.”

Pakistan’s strong first half

Solano was pleased with Pakistan’s discipline and performance during the opening half, but admitted the game changed significantly after the break.

“In the first half today, I think Pakistan played well and controlled the game. But in the second half, things changed,” he explained.

“Vietnam equalized quite early, and from that point on, we started to feel more difficulties. Some players started to tire, and we gave the opponent too much space.”

Solano said the physical difference between the two teams became increasingly important as the match went on.

“Vietnam had more energy, and that was a factor influencing the course of the match,” the 52-year-old coach said.

He also pointed to Pakistan’s inability to maintain the same intensity and defensive structure throughout the full 90 minutes.

“I don't want to criticize any individual. I'm disappointed with the result because we played very disciplined in the first half. However, at this level, Pakistan couldn't maintain their fitness throughout the match and lost their formation.”

Vietnam’s intensity made the difference

Solano admitted Vietnam deserved their victory and highlighted their ability to maintain a higher tempo during the second half.

“We know Vietnam is a very strong team and also one of the contenders for the championship in this tournament,” he said.

“I think Pakistan needs to learn from its mistakes today. It's a matter of how we organized our defense and handled situations.”

“Vietnam has more energetic players and they can maintain a higher intensity. That's one of the factors that made the difference in the match.”

The former Premier League midfielder also praised Vietnam forward Đình Bắc, who caused Pakistan problems after coming on in the second half.

“When Vietnam's number 9 came on, we knew he could cause a lot of problems on the right wing. Vietnam is a great team.”

Solano sees progress across the tournament

Despite ending the competition without a victory, Solano believes Pakistan’s three matches provided the team with valuable experience.

Pakistan started the tournament with defeat against Thailand before responding with a 2-2 draw against the Philippines. Against Vietnam, they again showed encouraging moments before being punished in the second half.

“For Pakistan, this has been a great experience. We will see how we can improve in the future,” Solano said.

“As I said, this has been a great experience for us. I told the players that if you look at the FIFA rankings, the gap between the teams seems very large.”

“But over the three matches, we have shown progress. We lost to Thailand, drew with the Philippines, and today we had a very good moment against Vietnam.”

Solano ended by stressing that Pakistan must take lessons from the tournament and continue aiming for better results whenever they compete internationally.

“In any tournament we participate in, Pakistan must strive for better results. That's what's important.”