ASIA U23 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE 2024
9:00 p.m. April 29: U23 Japan – U23 Iraq (Semi-final 1)
00:30 April 30: U23 Indonesia – U23 Uzbekistan (Semi-final 2)
10:30 p.m. May 2: Two losing teams in the semi-finals (Third place match)
10:30 p.m. May 3: Two winning teams in the semi-finals (Finals)
U23 Vietnam was rated much lower than U23 Iraq in the quarterfinals of the U23 Asia tournament, but coach Hoang Anh Tuan did not hesitate to let his students play proactively from the beginning. Vi Hao and his teammates pressed high and confidently played duels with their opponents.
The turning point of the match took place in the 59th minute. Vietnam’s U23 defense let Watifi in the penalty area, and Van Chuan’s attempt to stop the opponent led to a foul and a penalty. Van Dien guessed the right direction in the 11m kick, but Ali Jasim Elaibi still scored a goal. This was also the only goal lost in the match.
Winning closely 1-0, U23 Iraq entered the semi-finals against U23 Japan while U23 Vietnam stopped in the quarter-finals for the second consecutive time in the U23 Asia tournament.
Evaluating the match, coach Radhi Shenaishil of U23 Iraq said: “In knock-out matches, winning is the most important thing, and we did it.
This is a match in which we carefully researched the opponent to come up with a suitable strategy. The victory helps Iraq U23 advance to the semi-finals and meet Japan U23. The whole team is determined to win the next match to win tickets to the Paris Olympics.”
Despite the victory to move on to the semi-finals, coach Radhi Shenaishil still praised U23 Vietnam: “They are a strong team, not giving up. Everyone saw after U23 Vietnam conceded a goal and lost people due to red cards but still fought until the last minute.
Iraq U23 had an extremely difficult fight, but this is a worthy result as we showed stability in our playing style and the best spirit.”
“I believe that U23 Iraq will go far, many players here will have the opportunity to play for the national team in the future,” coach Radhi Shenaishil concluded.
Meanwhile, the player who scored the only goal in the match, Ali Jasim, expressed: “This was a great match. U23 Vietnam caused many difficulties for us, but the victory belonged to U23 Iraq. Coach Radhi Shenaishil helps us know the strengths and weaknesses of our opponents.
I would like to congratulate the entire team for reaching the semi-finals to compete for a ticket to the 2024 Olympics with U23 Japan. As for myself, I don’t want to talk much about the title of Best Player of the match. For me, the important thing is that the team wins and I’m happy about that.”
