U-23 Vietnam playing in the quarterfinals with Iraq will be very different

(PLO) – Coach Hoang Anh Tuan affirmed that the U-23 Vietnam team will play the knockout match with a different face from the loss to Uzbekistan in the group stage, when his team will definitely win tickets to the quarterfinals of the U-2 tournament. 23 Asia.

U-23 Iraq will clash U-23 Vietnam at the U-23 Asian quarter-finals at Al Janoub Stadium on April 27 (FPT Play live at 0:30). Radhi Shenaishil and his team, after their opening match losing 0-2 to Thailand, had two ecstatic victories over Tajikistan 4-2 and defending champion Saudi Arabia 2-1 to enter the one-on-one series.

Coach Shenaishil knows that his students are theoretically in the upper hand but admits that Iraq will need a different strategy to counter the strength of U-23 Vietnam: “The knockout round will be different from the group stage. We greatly respect U-23 Vietnam and will have to make every effort to get the desired results. Iraq are playing well and we are candidates for the semi-finals and this is an opportunity to make our fans happy.”

The 57-year-old coach added: “East Asian and West Asian football are very different. East teams depend on playing fast. Or like Saudi Arabia has better quality and skills. So these are two very different games for us.

Countries like Vietnam and Indonesia always have long-term plans to develop football. That’s the culture here, just like Japan or Korea. I really like U-23 Vietnam. They always have aspirations and goals for themselves, which is to reach the U-23 Asian semi-finals. Therefore, Iraq must prepare very carefully.

We practice hard because we understand that we will have to face strong opponents. We watched three matches of U-23 Vietnam in the group stage. They have disciplined players and a good team. But Iraq has its methods to face them and we hope to win.”

Despite losing 0-3 to Uzbekistan in the final match of Group D, coach Hoang Anh Tuan of U-23 Vietnam still emphasized that this result did not mean much in the quarter-final match with Iraq. Mr. Tuan made 8 changes to the starting lineup in this match and will definitely field his best players in the quarterfinals against Iraq.

The U-23 Vietnam team hopes to reach the semi-finals for the second time in history. With good individuals like Khuat Van Khang or Nguyen Van Tung, Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan is confident that his team can surprise Iraq: “We met Iraq before and lost, but that is the past. Currently, both teams have a chance but only one can make it to the semi-finals.

The match against Uzbekistan will not affect our preparations. Iraq also lost to Thailand, but that does not mean they are weak. In football, anything can happen. There are many factors that can decide a match, not just on paper who is stronger or weaker.”

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan further shared that, whether they meet defending champions Saudi Arabia or Iraq in the quarterfinals, they must be highly focused: “Until we play, no one can say anything in advance. We have prepared very carefully professionally and mentally. Competition regulations need to take into account extra time, penalty shootouts, etc. and U-23 Vietnam is ready for any situation.”

The winner of this match will enter the semi-finals of the U-23 Asian tournament against Japan, the team that just beat host Qatar 4-2 after 120 minutes of competition. This tournament is also the Paris Olympic qualifying round with two teams reaching the final and third place winning official tickets, the fourth place team competing for a ticket with the African representative, Guinea U-23 team.