SEA Games Final and the 'historic date' between Vietnamese and Indonesian football
(Baonghean.vn) – In the past, Vietnamese football and Indonesian football have faced each other many times in life-and-death matches. We have met them in the group stage, in the semi-finals of tournaments, but have never met this opponent in the final.
Even though Vietnamese football is ranked 94th on the FIFA rankings, is the current Southeast Asian Champion, the runner-up of the U23 Asian Cup, and has defeated strong Asian teams, when returning to the region, Vietnamese football still has to recognize itself, not just winning is winning.
In the past, Thailand was always a tough opponent, one could say the traditional rival of the Vietnam team, but now, that obsession has gone into the past. The Thai national team and U22 Thailand have lost to Vietnam twice and despite the leadership of Japanese coach Akira Nishino, they still could not beat us in the recent matches.
Speaking of the SEA Games, Thailand was eliminated by the mettle of U22 Vietnam and our opponent in the final match was Indonesia. In the past, Indonesia and Vietnam were worthy of being a "matched pair".
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| In the group stage, although U22 Vietnam came from behind to win against Indonesia, it was the most difficult match for U22 Vietnam at SEA Games 30. Photo: Hai Hoang |
In 12 matches against each other at the SEA Games, Vietnam and Indonesia have both won 5, drawn 2 and lost 5. Our losses to this opponent were in the group stage of SEA Games 16, 17, 21, 23 and the semi-final of SEA Games 26 on the opponent's field. The two draws between U22 Vietnam and Indonesia were in the group stage of SEA Games 19 and 29.
The most unforgettable draw of U22 Vietnam was at SEA Games 2017, U22 Vietnam with Cong Phuong, Xuan Truong, Van Toan, Tuan Tai led by coach Huu Thang. We played against 10 Indonesian players, making the opponent "go up and down" but could not score a single goal.
Then, U22 Vietnam was tense and lost to Thailand, eliminated from the SEA Games just 2 years ago. That past has ended, because of the thrilling match of U22 Vietnam against Indonesia in the group stage. Although Tien Dung's mistake caused U22 Vietnam to concede a goal, Coach Park Hang-seo's students still came back to win 2-1.
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| Coach Park Hang-seo to face coach Indra Sjafri again. Photo: Hai Hoang |
Among those 5 victories, there were also matches in the group stage of SEA Games 18, the semi-finals of SEA Games 20, the group stage of SEA Games 22 and the third-place match at SEA Games 27.
The statistics show a balance in history and it is worth mentioning that we have never won a SEA Games final. As for Indonesia, they have also reached the final 5 times like Vietnam but have won 2 gold medals (SEA Games 1987 and 1991) and 3 silver medals.
In the 4 SEA Games finals against Thailand, we lost 4 matches. We only lost once to Malaysia in the finals but have never met Indonesia in the finals.
Looking back on the past, Coach Park Hang-seo's students have scored 21 goals against their opponents and only conceded 4 goals. In other statistics, U22 Vietnam is on par with U22 Indonesia.
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| In the past, Vietnam and Indonesia have never met in the SEA Games final. Photo: Hai Hoang |
The difference is that U22 Vietnam has remained undefeated since the beginning of the tournament. We only drew 2-2 with U22 Thailand in the last round of the group stage. Meanwhile, U22 Indonesia lost to U22 Vietnam. However, it must be admitted that Indonesia is the opponent that has caused us the most difficulties at this SEA Games.
The opponent showed a completely different face compared to the current national team, with a tight defensive style and quick counterattacks, physical strength, speed and full of tricks, forcing U22 Vietnam to rely on corner kicks and Hoang Duc's brilliant moment at the end of the match.
Certainly, coach Indra Sjafri's team is eager to take revenge on U22 Vietnam in the final match. And the opponent Indonesia has also somewhat grasped the playing style in the last encounter. The opponent of U22 Vietnam will no longer be surprised when U22 Vietnam plays from 3-4-3 gradually switching to 3-5-2.
And of course, the match on December 10 is not only a final match between the two strongest teams in the tournament, it is also a "historical date". There, the winner will not only be the one with more courage and class, but the element of luck is also equally important./.
"In the group stage match, U22 Indonesia lost to Vietnam because they always appreciated us and accepted to play defense as the underdog. However, if they played an open game, who knows what would happen. They played very good counter-attacking defense, coordinated very well, and had very good physical strength.
In the next match, if coach Indra Sjafri realizes that, U22 Vietnam will have a very difficult time. However, I believe that U22 Vietnam will know how to relieve the pressure and win the gold medal at this SEA Games."
Former midfielder Quoc Vuong: "It won't be easy for U22 Vietnam to play against Indonesia again in the final of SEA Games 30"
(Baonghean.vn) - Witnessing U22 Vietnam facing many difficulties to reach the semi-finals of SEA Games 30, former midfielder Le Quoc Vuong said that Coach Park Hang-seo's students are playing well but are having difficulties because of the pressure to win the championship.
