U23 Asia 2024 quarterfinals: Southeast Asian football and the Paris Olympic dream

In Group A, U23 Qatar showed the host advantage to take the top spot in the group with an unbeaten record, winning 2 and drawing 1. U23 Indonesia ranked second after an impressive journey against the tide and the more they played, the better they played.

Coach Shin Tae Yong and his team started off with a bitter 0-2 loss to Qatar, with 2 players being sent off the field. In the second match, Garuda created a stir by winning at least 1-0 against the highly rated team Australia.

And in the final match, U23 Indonesia exploded by destroying Jordan with a score of 4-1. Against an opponent that was rated higher, the Van Dao team played confidently and dominated, then flourished with impressive attack arrangements to score goals.

In Group B, there were no surprises when the two giants U23 Korea and Japan shared the top two positions to move on to the knockout round. China U23 once again disappointed when it never passed the group stage of the Asian U23 tournament after 5 participations.

In Group C, surprises happened continuously and the positions of the teams constantly changed. In the opening match, Thailand U23 impressed with a 2-0 victory over Iraq U23. However, in the second match, “War Elephants” lost 0-5 to Saudi Arabia.

In the final match, the Golden Temple team continued to play weakly and lost to Tajikistan. Meanwhile, after two matches showing their strength with 9 goals, U23 Saudi Arabia lost to Iraq. As a result, Iraq U23 ranked first in the table, Saudi Arabia ranked second.

Finally, Group D, where U23 Vietnam and Uzbekistan proved superior to the remaining two opponents, Kuwait and Malaysia, won tickets after only 2 matches. U23 Uzbekistan also showed its strength with a 3-0 victory over U23 Vietnam to convincingly take the top spot in the group.

Thus, after the tense group stage, the 2024 U23 Asia tournament in Qatar determined four quarter-final pairs: Korea – Indonesia, Qatar – Japan, Uzbekistan – Saudi Arabia and Vietnam – Iraq.

A special feature of the 2024 U23 Asian Championship is its role as a qualifying round for men’s soccer at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics (Olympic Paris 2024) in France. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has 3.5 slots, 3 tickets for the first, second and third place teams, and a play-off spot for the fourth place team, with the opponent being Olympic Guinea.

Thus, in addition to conquering achievements at the continental level, football teams also aim for a ticket to the Olympics, where they will have the opportunity to compete with the world’s leading football countries. For that reason, the immediate quarter-finals have unintentionally become the pivotal round for the Paris dream. The 4 teams participating in the semi-finals will have a great chance to participate in the Olympics.

And with the knock-out nature, the probability of the element of surprise is even higher. Therefore, teams that are rated as underdogs like U23 Vietnam or U23 Indonesia also have the right to dream of a ticket to magnificent Paris…

As mentioned, U23 Indonesia is playing better and better at the U23 Asian tournament. Because it was their first time participating and being ranked in the 4th seed group, the success of the Van Dao team became even more resounding.

However, it would be a mistake to underestimate U23 Indonesia. First of all, not many teams are as thoroughly prepared for U23 Asia as Indonesia. Leading the U23 team is Mr. Shin Tae Yong, coach of the national team. The force Garuda brought to Qatar is also strong, with 9 national players.

These players are also very familiar to Vietnamese football fans. That is Marselino, the brightest talent of football in the Land of Ten Thousand Islands; throw-in specialist Pratama Arhan; and 4 naturalized players Ivar Jenner, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Justin Hubner, Rafael William Struick.

In addition, the remaining players of U23 Indonesia are all experienced in battle thanks to many opportunities to practice. The proof is that most of the current Indonesian U23 members won the SEA Games 32 gold medal a year ago.

The careful preparation of U23 Indonesia’s force is even more meaningful when the tournament is rescheduled to April and clubs are not required to release troops. In fact, in many countries with teams participating in the U23 Asian Championship, the national championship (National Championship) still takes place as usual. As a result, many teams do not have the strongest force.

A weaker opponent, or not as strong as imagined, is an opportunity for U23 Indonesia to pass the group stage. However, it cannot be denied that Van Dao football is making strong strides and possesses a group of extremely quality players.

Coach Shin Tae Yong’s impression in the growth of the Indonesian national team at all levels is also worthy of recognition, because this coach himself has worked hard to mold the current generation of players.

It should be emphasized that international experts and media highly appreciate the potential of Indonesian football. This country is the first representative of Asian football to attend the World Cup finals (1938).

With more than 270 million people and a strong passion for football, Van Dao has many motivations to develop the king sport. Not only that, Indonesian football talents are highly appreciated. These are players with physical strength, speed, technique, flexibility, flexibility and no less aggressiveness.

Mr. Peter Velappan, the late General Secretary of the Asian Football Confederation, once said nearly 20 years ago: “Indonesia is truly the Brazil of Asia. They play smart football and have a unique style. Talented Indonesian football is better than Japan or Korea, but they lack organization and will to clear the turbulence from the top.”

Encountering U23 Korea in the quarterfinals will be a big challenge for U23 Indonesia and coach Shin Tae Yong himself, a Korean. If we defeat this opponent, perhaps it’s time to talk about the awakening of a giant, a topic that international media has raised many question marks for football in Van Dao.

The dream of attending the 2024 Paris Olympics may sound distant, but in reality, U23 Vietnam won the runner-up position of U23 Asia 2018 in Changzhou (China). At that time, trust was more or less broken after the failure at the 2017 SEA Games. Coach Park Hang Seo’s appearance was also subject to many doubts and even criticism.

In that context, U23 Vietnam still creates surprise after surprise to become the legend of “Snow White Changzhou”. Vu Van Thanh’s arrogant stance, Phan Van Duc’s charm, or Nguyen Quang Hai’s masterpieces have become part of the most beautiful memories of Vietnamese football fans.

The current batch of U23 Vietnamese players under the guidance of coach Hoang Anh Tuan are also creating new beautiful memories. The military leader from Khanh Hoa once again showed his ability through the way he commanded his troops. U23 Vietnam is well organized, defends tightly, controls the game firmly and always knows how to put the ball into the net.

The AFC home page must also give coach Hoang Anh Tuan praise for using people and tactics. That is a fair recognition for a leader who has helped the Vietnamese youth team achieve many successes, including a ticket to the U20 World Cup and the Southeast Asian championship.

On the human side, goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan and midfielder Luong Duy Cuong form a fulcrum and safe block in the defense system. 19-year-old midfielder Le Nguyen Hoang also played impressively, showing his ability to dispute and judge.

In the midfield, besides the “metronome”, Thai Son has shown the class of the V-League’s top holding midfielder, Vo Hoang Minh Khoa, who plays aggressively. This duo has coordinated quite harmoniously to help U23 Vietnam stably control the midfield area.

In attack, Nguyen Van Tung has demonstrated the role of a center forward, with the ability to press and create walls. Not only that, Van Tung was also the author of the first goal for U23 Vietnam in this tournament, with a clear offside trap and a neat finish.

In addition, there is the ability to create breakthroughs from Khuat Van Khang’s free kicks or the charm of red chicken Bui Vi Hao. Van Khang’s left hand is a rarity in Vietnamese football, similar to seniors like Thanh Luong, Quang Hai or Hoang Duc.

Vi Hao’s running gait as if he is about to fall can fool all opponents. It’s not a coincidence that this Binh Duong striker makes a breakthrough every time he enters the field. All in all, U23 Vietnam is not a team that is easily bullied under the guidance of coach Hoang Anh Tuan.

Snow has fallen in Changzhou, why don’t you dare dream about the day it “snows” in Qatar?!

Content: Ngoc Trung

Design: Patrick Nguyen

April 25, 2024 – 06:01