[goldenHuddlestone]

Tactical nous and team spirit will only get Vietnam so far, because the national side is condemned to eternal mediocrity by the players' lack of physical size, according to coach Alfred Riedl.

Vietnam bowed out of the Asian Cup with heads high on Saturday — losing 2-0 to Iraq — having surprised many just by making the quarterfinals.

It was an admirable achievement for a nation that had never won an Asian Cup match before this tournament, and whose players were drawn exclusively from the unheralded Vietnamese league.

The team's showing brought praise for Riedl, who will stay in the job, but the Austrian coach says quarterfinal appearances are about the most Vietnam can ever hope for.

Among Vietnam's 30-man initial squad for the Asian Cup, only one player was above 180 centimeters in height, with the majority under 174 centimeters. But height was not as much as a disadvantage as Vietnam's deficiency in muscle mass and strength, with no player in the squad weighing more than 75 kilograms.

In football, a small team can only reach a certain level," Riedl said.

"We can get a little success in South East Asia and some matches in all of Asia, but we cannot have big success in Asia because we are too small.

"The lesson is we still have to work on our physique."

The good news for Vietnam is the team's relative youth. Seven of the players that played against Iraq are still eligible for the Asian Games, while five are eligible for the under-23 event at the Beijing Olympics.