According to Zing’s information, Dang Van Lam has not been in the best shape after recovering from a shoulder injury. He just returned to training at Cerezo Osaka club but only practiced with moderate intensity. Lam is likely to be absent from the focus list of the Vietnamese team to play the last two matches of the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup against Oman at home and Japan away at the end of March.

Van Lam’s teammate at Cerezo Osaka, Australia striker Adam Taggart, will also be absent in the final matches of these qualifying rounds. Lam and Adam both recently returned from injury, missing the national team’s recent matches in the World Cup qualifiers.

 Van Lam may not return to the Vietnam team to play the last two matches of the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup against Oman and Japan. Photo: Viet Linh.

The last time Van Lam played for Vietnam was the match against Australia at home on September 7. In the past 6 matches, this overseas Vietnamese goalkeeper was absent due to Covid-19 and injury.

The Vietnamese team is expected to gather in Hanoi on March 14. The list of teams will be announced by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) a few days before. The goalkeeper position may still be familiar faces like Bui Tan Truong, Tran Nguyen Manh, Nguyen Van Hoang.

The absence of Van Lam is not a big concern for the Vietnamese team. Tan Truong’s experience and Nguyen Manh’s rising form have brought a certain peace of mind to the team’s wooden frame over time. In the first main start in the third qualifying round of the World Cup, Nguyen Manh contributed to Vietnam’s victory over China in January.

2022 will be a challenging year for Dang Van Lam. The goalkeeper born in 1993 has just been renewed by Cerezo Osaka, will have more opportunities to play when Kenya Matsui is gone. The Osaka squad at this time only had Kim Jin Hyeon (1987), Dang Van Lam and Sota Matsubara (2002).

Van Lam has only played 2 matches for Cerezo Osaka (1 in the AFC Champions League, 1 in the Emperor’s Cup).