National U19 Final 2023: Can Song Lam Nghe An regain its former glory?

Journey of overcoming difficulties

Coming to the 2023 National U19 Football Tournament, U19 Song Lam Nghe An is one of the teams facing many difficulties in terms of personnel and preparation for the tournament. Coach Nguyen Van Vinh and his colleagues had to constantly change plans and adapt to every situation. Because the members of the U19 National team this year, many faces are key factors in the U17 National final round.

In addition to the absence of goalkeeper Cao Van Binh and Tran Nam Hai (at Team 1), the rest are on duty at national teams such as U17 Vietnam or U20 Vietnam, making it so that the players do not have enough time to understand each other and assemble the team like the coaching staff.U19 Song Lam Nghe Andesire.

However, overcoming all difficulties, U19 Song Lam Nghe An with extraordinary efforts and attempts has excellently won a ticket to the final round with a record of 4 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses, earning 14 points and ranking second in Group B. Especially in Group C, U19 Song Lam Nghe An has eliminated a newly emerging force of Vietnamese football like PVF to gather with SHB Da Nang in Tay Ninh.

U19 SLNA is showing extraordinary spirit and determination. Photo: Chung Le

In the final round, U19 Song Lam Nghe An fell into a group with Dong A Thanh Hoa, the championship candidate of the tournament, Becammex Binh Duong and Dong Thap. However, the unbeaten record (1 win, 2 draws) helped U19 Song Lam Nghe An advance straight to the semi-finals to meet U19 Binh Phuoc. And the quarter-final match was also the match where U19 Song Lam Nghe An played extremely well and won with a score of 4-1.

In the semi-final match against U19 Ha Noi - a fierce rival of the Nghe An team, coach Van Vinh's players played with great courage, scoring first and defeating their opponents in the 11m penalty shootout. The most encouraging thing was that the goalkeeper problem was solved when goalkeeper Nguyen Huu Hau became a perfect substitute.

17 years of longing and waiting

In the history of the tournament, Song Lam Nghe An is a force with 10 times reaching the final and 5 times winning the championship in 1999; 2001; 2004; 2005; 2006. The final match against U19 Dong A Thanh Hoa is the 11th final match of the Nghe team in this tournament.

And in the previous 10 finals, Song Lam Nghe An became runner-up in 2002; 2007; 2011; 2013; 2014 after unlucky matches. Specifically, in 2002, they lost to The Cong 0-1 in the final; in 2007, they lost to Dong Nai 0-1; in 2011, they lost to Hanoi T&T on penalties; in 2013, they lost to Khanh Hoa on penalties; in 2014, they lost to Hanoi T&T also on penalties.

Thus, for 17 years, Song Lam Nghe An has not been able to win the National U19 Championship and has lost 3 times on penalties. The players who most recently brought the National U19 Championship to Song Lam Nghe An in 2006 such as Nguyen Hong Viet, Nguyen Dinh Hiep, Nguyen Ngoc Anh... have all retired. Obviously, this is too long a wait. Meanwhile, Thanh Hoa has only won 1 championship in the only time they reached the final.

Meaningful final match

This year, the National U19 final is truly a highly anticipated match between U19 Song Lam Nghe An and U19 Dong A Thanh Hoa. The Thanh team is led by a foreign coach and this team brings an extremely modern style of play. Defeating SHB Da Nang 4-2 in the semi-final is enough for coach Svetislav Tanasijevic and his team to affirm their strength.

However, having reached the final, U19 Song Lam Nghe An is no pushover as the mental strength of coach Van Vinh's players is on the rise and their playing style has reached its peak. The final on May 4 is also worth looking forward to because in the group stage, the two teams drew 1-1.

A championship at the U19 tournament is a strong affirmation of the SLNA "training center". Photo: Chung Le

Just like any final, the team with better physical condition, better start, better opportunity and more courage will win. However, luck in football is a very important factor.

The final match between Song Lam Nghe An and Thanh Hoa will be a very important match, especially for Song Lam Nghe An when the record for the number of championships is falling into the hands of Hanoi. On the other hand, people often talk too much about the rise of heavily invested centers, sparing no money such as PVF, Viettel, Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Nutifood, Hanoi, but they have all stopped.

However, the two local training centers, which are still facing many difficulties such as Thanh Hoa and Song Lam Nghe An, competing for the championship is truly an affirmation of identity, tradition and unique way of doing things. And more importantly, the U19 generation is at an age approaching professional football, which will be an extremely important stepping stone for their future./.