Coach Hoang Anh Tuan: 'U23 Vietnam cannot make mistakes like in the opening match'

On the afternoon of April 19 local time, the Vietnam U23 team had an important training session before the match against Malaysia U23, in Group D, 2024 AFC U23 Championship Finals.

After the opening round, the U23 Vietnam team is temporarily leading Group D thanks to a better goal difference than Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, the other two teams in the same group, Malaysia and Kuwait, have not yet earned any points.

In the second match taking place on the evening of April 20, if U23 Malaysia is defeated and U23 Uzbekistan does not lose to U23 Kuwait, the U23 Vietnam team will soon win a ticket to the 2024 AFC U23 Championship Finals.

Evaluating this important match, coach Hoang Anh Tuan said: “I have reviewed the squad of U23 Malaysia participating in this tournament. They have about 10 players who played against U23 Vietnam in the 2023 Southeast Asian U23 tournament. But each tournament is different. The statistics are only theoretical, but they also have a positive impact on the players' psychology. As I said from the beginning, we respect all opponents. We must be highly focused, work hard and strive for the best results.”

Sharing about the preparation of U23 Vietnam for this important match, coach Hoang Anh Tuan said: “As we know, Dinh Bac is injured and cannot participate in tomorrow's match. The second case is the red card of Nguyen Ngoc Thang. Losing two positions is also a challenge for the coaching staff. However, I have also calculated all options. The whole team is ready for the match with U23 Malaysia”.

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan added: “In the first match with U23 Kuwait, we still have many things to consider, review and correct. Therefore, I will definitely have to tell the players not to make the same mistakes as in the opening match.”

The match between U23 Vietnam and U23 Malaysia will take place at 4:00 p.m. on April 20, local time, at Khalifa Stadium (8:00 p.m. Vietnam time).