Team U-23 Vietnam After two group stage matches, they were sure to win tickets to the quarterfinals, so there was a lot of time for coach Hoang Anh Tuan to plan for a one-or-one confrontation with Iraq. Even the main squad of the young teacher from Khanh Hoa has recovered from the tactical loss to Uzbekistan U-23 when actively choosing opponents in the knockout round.
Never give up
After the 2018 U-23 Asian Finals in which the U-23 Vietnam team unexpectedly won second place, Coach Park Hang-seo most appreciated his students’ fighting spirit of never giving up. In later international tournaments, the Korean teacher often repeated that guideline as a determined advice to his students and to reassure football lovers.
Coincidentally, in the magical journey six years ago, the U-23 Vietnam team defeated Iraq in the quarterfinals with that indomitable spirit. That time, Mr. Park and his team had a breathtaking chase for the score for 120 minutes and ended with a spectacular victory on the 11-meter penalty shootout.
Vietnamese fans now also hope that Hoang Anh Tuan and his team will surpass Iraq again, before counting on winning the Olympic spots for the top three teams and the 4th ranked team playing the next play off match with Guinea. Mr. Tuan revealed that his students definitely had a different performance, not only thanks to their talent in commanding soldiers and generals, but also from the spiritual weapon of never giving up.
This season, U-23 Vietnam is still in a lower position than Iraq due to its weaker overall professional foundation. However, youth football often exhibits certain limitations and Iraq is no exception to that rule. Mr. Radhi Shenaishil’s students lost 0-2 to Thailand in their opening match, but they unexpectedly surpassed Tajikistan 4-2 and defeated defending champion Saudi Arabia 2-1 to take first place in the group.
Coach Radhi Shenaishil’s disadvantage is that he does not have the strongest squad as expected, because many Iraqi and foreign clubs do not release troops, unlike the V-League, which has to pause for a month for young players to join the U-23 team, which is that many countries with strong football backgrounds do not do.
U-23 Iraq lost to their Vietnamese colleagues in the 2018 season, also in the U-23 Asian quarterfinals. Photo: AN.
U-23 Vietnam promises to play hard
Coach Hoang Anh Tuan has carefully planned the scenarios for his players in the knockout match against Iraq, including helping the goalkeeper take penalties and rotating players to take 11-meter kicks, if the two teams are inconclusive after 120 minutes. .
Mr. Tuan warned his students about their opponents U-23 Iraq. Even though they lost to Thailand, they are not weak. Vietnam’s U-23 team defeated them in the quarterfinals six years ago, but that doesn’t mean they will continue to win. However, coach Hoang Anh Tuan is very confident that he has everything ready for his students and does not care much about the level difference in a vital match. The Khanh Hoa teacher promised to help students concentrate highly on the game with Iraq to get the best results.
Young Vietnamese players are becoming more and more mature after three group stage matches. Photo: AN.
And in the end, U-23 Vietnam has accomplished its goal in the U-23 Asian finals, so it is very comfortable to enter with the mentality of having nothing to lose. Suppose Hoang Anh Tuan and his team win against U-23 Iraq to enter the semi-finals, it will cause a stir, otherwise it is normal and the fans are probably not too difficult to judge a young team in the process of erasing and re-doing. after coach Troussier.
As long as U-23 Vietnam goes into battle, they always show a high level of determination and a not weak playing style like when they proactively lost 0-3 to Uzbekistan in the final match of the group stage. Vietnamese football lovers will be very satisfied if Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan’s students play hard.
