Head coach of U21 SLNA: 'Once we reach the final, there's nothing to be afraid of'

U19 Vietnam player Tran Manh Quynh of the teamU21 SLNAwas the only goal scorer of the first semi-final match that took place on the afternoon of December 17, helping U21 SLNA win the right to play in the final match. Coach Dinh Van Dung could not hide his joy with the hard-fought 1-0 victory.

The head coach of U21 SLNA said: “Whichever team wins today’s match is worthy. Right from the first half, I thought both teams played a good game and we were the luckier team. We got a corner kick and scored first,” emphasized coach Van Dung.

He also talked about the moment Van Son received a second yellow card, putting U21 SLNA in a position of being short-handed: “There were 11 players, but I was only sad about 1, but satisfied with the remaining 10. I saw that the players played with all their might, showing a commendable enthusiasm. Only Van Son suddenly got into the ball and received 2 unnecessary cards, in a situation where we were completely in control, but it made us passive.

U21 SLNA team won the right to enter the final to meet U21 Viettel. Photo: Ba Tuan

Luckily, we quickly replaced other positions with defensive duties to counterattack. There were situations where the kids counterattacked well and played very confidently. The U21 SLNA defenders forced Nam Dinh to play high balls and we were able to neutralize them.

In football, we think that strong clubs that play better must be respected, but to put pressure on them, every team wants to play like that to score goals, but we play each game individually, which games can be attacking, which games can be defensive and counter-attacking.

If we are afraid of our opponent Viettel, we are not afraid. Meeting Viettel in the final, SLNA will be cautious, keeping an eye on their good and classy players such as Nham Manh Dung, Huu Thang, Danh Trung, Tien Anh... We have watched them play and analyzed them carefully in the past matches", Coach Van Dung concluded.

Coach Dinh Van Dung has researched U21 Viettel quite thoroughly. Photo: Ba Tuan

As for coach Khanh Hung of U21 Nam Dinh, he said: “In this match, both teams played very tightly. Luck belonged to SLNA. Congratulations on their victory. In the beginning of the second half, the advantage was on our side, but the other team also defended very tightly. I told my students to push up to put pressure on the opponent's goal, but SLNA players played well.”

Winning this match, U21 SLNA will meet U21 Viettel in the final - the team that won 2-1 in the second semi-final, while U21 Nam Dinh and U21 Dong Thap finished third overall. Once againCoach Dinh Van DungHe once again proved his talent in the National U21 playground when he never once lost.

Playing with one less player, U21 SLNA still defeated Nam Dinh to advance to the final

(Baonghean.vn) - In the semi-final match of the 2020 National U21 Football Tournament against U21 Nam Dinh, despite taking the lead, U21 SLNA encountered many difficulties because they had to play with one less player for most of the second half.