Only 4 U20 players were added to the Vietnam U23 team; The first Asian team to get a ticket to the U20 World Cup

Mbappe helps PSG win in the 90th minute

Early morning of March 12 (Hanoi time), Lionel Messi assisted Kylian Mbappe to score the winning goal 2-1 for PSG against Brest.

Thanks to their superior force, PSG completely dominated the game. They controlled the ball 61%, created 17 shots and had 8 shots on target. Meanwhile, Brest only had 2 shots on target.

In the 37th minute, the first goal came to PSG. After a very strong long-range shot from Mbappe, goalkeeper Marco Bizot could not hold the ball. Soler was there at the right time to score the rebound, opening the score for the away team.

Messi and Mbappe shine at the right time, bringing 3 points to PSG. Photo: Reuters

In the 43rd minute, Brest equalized after an exemplary counter-attack. Romain Del Castillo sent a perfect long pass for Honorat to run down and beat Gianluigi Donnarumma in a one-on-one situation.

In the second half, PSG continued to dominate the game. When many people thought it would be a draw, the two stars Messi and Mbappe shone. In the 90th minute, Messi sent a one-touch pass for Mbappe to run down. In a one-on-one situation, the French striker dribbled past Bizot and put the ball into the empty net, sealing a 2-1 victory for PSG.

With this result, PSG has 66 points and maintains the number 1 position on the Ligue 1 rankings. They are 11 points ahead of second-placed Marseille.

Vietnam U20 Women's Team Wins Qualifying Round 2 of 2024 AFC U20 Women's Championship

The draw against India U20 Women's Team helped Vietnam U20 Women's Team qualify for the second qualifying round of the 2024 AFC U20 Women's Championship.

The match that will decide the ticket to the next round in Group F, qualifying round 1 of the 2024 AFC U20 Women's Championship is the confrontation between Vietnam U20 Women's Team and India U20 Women's Team. Right after the opening whistle, India U20 Women's Team had to push up their squad because they had to win to regain the top spot from their opponents.

The Indian women's U20 team soon got what they needed when Babina Devi fired a beautiful long-range shot past goalkeeper Danh Thi Kieu My, opening the scoring for the visitors. Despite the surprise defeat, the Vietnamese women's U20 team showed no signs of losing. The red-shirted team calmly deployed their play and increased their attack on the Indian women's U20 team's field.

Vietnam U20 women got 1 point against India U20 women.

Bao Tram played calmly and confidently in defense. Up front, Hoang Van and Minh Chuyen continuously used their speed to get past the opposing defenders. But in decisive situations, the U20 Vietnam women's team lacked the accuracy to score.

In the 45+2 minute, the efforts of the Vietnam U20 women's team were rewarded. Ta Thi Thuy handled the ball skillfully before making an accurate pass back to Tran Nhat Lan. This midfielder shot dangerously from a distance, hitting the post, but in the second situation, Nhat Lan continued to shoot and she scored the equalizer 1-1.

In the second half, the Vietnam U20 women's team continued to maintain an impressive game. They pressured the India U20 women's team and created many coherent and beautiful attacks. Unfortunately, the home team could not take advantage of the opportunity to score a goal to take the lead.

In the final minutes of the match, Coach Akira Ijiri adjusted the tactics and the Vietnam U20 women's team actively defended to preserve the score. Goalkeeper Danh Thi Kieu My was the standout player with many excellent saves. In the end, the Vietnam U20 women's team tied 1-1 with the India U20 women's team. This result helped the young girls win a ticket to the next round.

Only 4 U20 players were added to the Vietnam U23 team.

On the afternoon of March 11, the identities of the U20 Vietnam players summoned to the U23 Vietnam team for upcoming tournaments were officially revealed.

Accordingly, instead of 9 players as initially predicted by experts, only 4 names "caught the eye" of coach Troussier. After impressive performances at the U20 Asian Finals, 4 players, Van Khang, Van Truong, Quoc Viet and Duc Viet, were given the opportunity to join the U23 team.

Among them, Van Khang (Viettel FC) is the captain of U20 Vietnam, scoring the only goal against U20 Iran. In addition, in the recent Asian tournament, Quoc Viet (Hoang Anh Gia Lai) contributed 2 goals, Van Truong (Hanoi) 1 goal and Duc Viet (Hoang Anh Gia Lai) did not score but played very well in the midfield of U20 Vietnam.

Only 4 U20 players are selected for the U23 team this time.

Sharing about the decision to add personnel to the U23 team, coach Troussier said: "The U23 team's biggest weakness at the moment is the attack. The team will be supplemented with U20 players and I have high expectations for them. Most of the current U20 team are players I have worked with. In addition, their performance at the recent U20 Asian tournament is an accurate measure to confirm their potential."

In the immediate future, U23 Vietnam will participate in the Doha Cup friendly tournament to prepare for the 32nd SEA Games. This tournament will take place in Doha (Qatar) from March 20 to March 28, with 10 U23 teams participating: Vietnam, Thailand, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and host Qatar.

According to the schedule,U23 Vietnamwill meet U23 Iraq on March 23 and meet U23 UAE on March 26 (Vietnam time) in the group stage.

First Asian team to qualify for U20 World Cup

Ali Jasim's goal in the 90+1 minute helped U20 Iraq win an emotional 1-0 against neighbor Iran in the first quarter-final match on the evening of March 11 (Hanoi time).

The victory over U20 Iran also helped U20 Iraq win a ticket to the final round of the U20 World Cup 2023. An achievement beyond the expectations of this country's football. According to the tournament's regulations, the 4 teams that reached the semi-finals of the U20 Asian Cup will win tickets to the U20World Cup 2023.

The Gulf derby of the 2023 AFC U20 Championship was as dramatic as fans expected. The two young teams Iran and Iraq demonstrated their level and fighting spirit. Iran U20 was rated higher at the beginning of the match, but the second half belonged to the representative of Iraqi football.

Ali Jasim (hands on chest) celebrates his 91st-minute goal that helped Iraq defeat Iran 1-0 and win a ticket to the U-20 World Cup. Photo: AFC

The statistics show that the two teams were evenly matched, with Iraq and Iran having similar numbers of shots and possession time. Each team had 50% possession and had 6 shots on goal.

The difference in the match only came in the final minutes, when Iraq U20 decided to speed up. The boldness in handling situations helped coach Emad Mohammed's team make the Iranian defense confused.

From a sudden dribble in the middle of the field, Ali Jasim soloed through the Iranian defense, firing a shot to seal a 1-0 victory, to the delight of his teammates and the Iraqi coaching staff.

The remaining time of the match was not enough for U20 Iran to find an equalizer. The team that defeated Vietnam in the group stage played a deadlocked attack in the confrontation with Iraq. Considered the top candidate for the championship, U20 Iran had to sadly say goodbye to the tournament in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Iraq U20 have shown that they will be one of the formidable teams in the semi-finals. The West Asian representative will meet the winner of the quarter-final match between Japan and Jordan on March 12.