Japanese media gives surprising assessment of the Vietnamese Olympic team.
Witnessing the strong performances of the Vietnamese U23 team at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship and the recent 2018 International U23 friendly tournament, Japanese media have issued a warning to their Olympic team. They also highlighted some outstanding players from the Vietnamese Olympic team participating in the 18th Asian Games.
In the men's football tournament at ASIAD 18, the Vietnam Olympic team and the Japan Olympic team are both in Group D. This group also includes the Pakistan Olympic team and the Nepal Olympic team.
Because the Japan Football Association decided to use their U21 team for the 18th Asian Games in preparation for the 2020 Olympics on home soil, many experts believe that Coach Hajime Moriyasu's team will find it difficult to dominate in the group, especially since the Vietnamese Olympic team not only possesses a squad that reached the final of the 2018 U23 Asian Championship, but also has three experienced players over 23 years old.
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| Vietnam Olympic team. |
A few days before the matches in Group D began, the Japanese newspaper Qoly published an article commenting on the Vietnamese Olympic team. They highly praised the 20 players under coach Park Hang-seo, while also warning the Japanese Olympic team to be extremely cautious.
“Vietnam’s golden generation is far more experienced than the members of the Japanese U23 team, who are two years younger. Both Pakistan and Nepal could also pose difficulties for us. At the AFC U23 Championship, the Vietnamese U23 team is a very rare phenomenon, with the U23 team enjoying more widespread popularity than the senior national team. It’s no surprise that Vietnam has high expectations for the ASIAD and they are ready to go even further,” Qoly newspaper assessed.
According to Qoly, Xuan Truong and Cong Phuong are the two most dangerous players of the Vietnamese Olympic team. Xuan Truong has experience playing in the K.League and is known for his excellent tactical vision and pinpoint passes to his teammates.
As for Cong Phuong, he is one of the most promising names in Vietnamese football. With his talent, Cong Phuong has always attracted attention from both domestic and international media. Not to mention, he also spent a year playing in Japan.
