Group B, men's football SEA Games 32: 'Three tigers compete for power'

The men's football event of the 32nd SEA Games has 9 participating teams, divided into 2 groups A and B. Somehow, the seeded host Cambodia fell into group A with only 4 teams, meaning the group stage will play 3 matches, a clear advantage in long-term calculations. U22 Vietnam, as the defending champion, is the remaining seeded team, in group B with 5 teams, meaning they will have to play 4 group stage matches, will be more tired with the group stage and of course affect the following rounds.

In the difficulty of having to play 4 group stage matches, U22 Vietnam is fortunate to have its own advantage thanks to its seeded role. That is, Mr. Troussier and his team only have to face the 2 weakest teams in the group, U22 Laos and U22 Singapore, in the first 2 matches, then have 5 days off before entering the 3rd match. During this long break, U22 Vietnam can both accumulate and recover their physical strength, gain necessary experience after the first 2 matches, and "sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight" when leisurely watching the 2 strong opponents U22 Malaysia and U22 Thailand compete with each other in the 2nd match of the 2 teams. In this match, if the 2 opponents draw or win - lose, it will be beneficial for U22 Vietnam because Mr. Troussier and his team playing later can adjust everything as desired.

Specifically, in a group of 5 teams, each round has one team rested. U22 Vietnam was rested in the third round to watch U22 Malaysia and U22 Thailand unleash their full strength, unleashing all their attacks to achieve the most favorable result. Just two days later, U22 Malaysia will have to face U22 Vietnam, when all the cards have been played before. Of course, after this match, U22 Vietnam will face U22 Thailand, a "final" match of the group. If the Thais do not have a good result against the Malaysians, then the match against us will force them to fight hard to avoid being eliminated and at that time, hopefully Mr. Troussier and his team will not disappoint the fans of the country?

After the first two rounds of Group B, there is almost no hope for U22 Laos and U22 Singapore because they have lost 2 consecutive matches. Therefore, the competition for 2 tickets is only a race between 3 teams: U22 Thailand, U22 Malaysia and U22 Vietnam. It is worth mentioning that all 3 teams have not really put in their best effort when facing weak opponents. U22 Thailand did not play "full force" in the victory over U22 Singapore (3-1) and also kept 2 key players for the decisive matches. U22 Malaysia in the victory over U22 Laos (5-1) also gradually withdrew their best players, saving their strength for the match against U22 Thailand. Meanwhile, U22 Vietnam only used the most promising pillars from the second half or the last few minutes just to warm up. The strategists are all "playing" with each other and creating confusion in the first two matches as everyone has seen and the "drama" will reach its climax in the next matches.

According to the match schedule, U22 Malaysia will face U22 Thailand on May 6. In fact, the Malaysians are not usually "afraid" of the Thais, so even though they are considered "unrivaled in the region", especially after their recent performance at the Doha Cup, things can still go beyond the Thais' expectations in regaining the gold medal in men's football lost after two consecutive SEA Games. U22 Malaysia is at an advantage after a resounding 5-1 victory over U22 Laos, so they will certainly do their best to avoid an unfavorable result that would lead to not reaching the semi-finals. Of course, although they often encounter difficulties, and may even lose to U22 Malaysia, U22 Thailand with its strong force will also know how to overcome all obstacles and disadvantages if any.

The issue that fans are currently concerned about is that U22 Vietnam must first overcome U22 Malaysia in the third match when we have many advantages over our opponents. What happened against the opponent who plays an open game, U22 Laos, shows that U22 Malaysia is not an easy opponent to play against. This is a young, ambitious team, with real strength, playing well on the wings and in the middle, with the ability to finish off opponents at a "super" level. The match against U22 Thailand will make them have to use all their strength, must reveal all the strengths and weaknesses of the whole system as well as each position. Two days off is not ideal for a decisive match, so U22 Malaysia, whether they want it or not, must choose the most suitable and beneficial way to deploy the game, to have a favorable result. Meanwhile, U22 Vietnam must definitely show determination to have the best result in the match against U22 Malaysia to secure a place in the semi-finals. Although not easy, our confrontations with the Malays do not make us overly worried and that is the basis for believing in the maturity of Van Chuan and his teammates.

The match between the 3 strongest teams in Group B will therefore be interesting, attractive and hopefully there will be some surprises from a team returning home early. This "Three Tigers" story will therefore have many things to look forward to, including the results of the "one loss, one gain" match between Mr. Troussier and his team against the two upcoming rivals Malaysia and Thailand./.