We cannot be complacent!

(Baonghean) - This afternoon (October 28th), the final of the Thanh Nien Newspaper International U21 Cup will take place between the "sensational" HAGL U19 team and the Thailand U21 team. In their first semi-final match against the Thanh Nien Newspaper U21 team, the young players of the mountain town team showed their superiority in terms of gameplay. However, when facing the experienced and seasoned Thailand U21 team, HAGL U19 will find it difficult to create a fair match and will struggle to turn their fortunes around with a championship title…

To be fair, since the HAGL – Arsenal JMG Football Academy team produced a generation of talented, well-trained players, Vietnamese football fans have rediscovered their true love for the sport. For a long time, Vietnamese national football teams only excelled in regional competitions, and whenever they ventured onto the international stage, they were merely "underdogs." But with the HAGL U19 team, it's different. Within a year of their appearance, their beautiful style of play, skillful technique, and spirit of fair play have captivated football enthusiasts. After the Vietnam U19 team (with the core being the HAGL U19 team supplemented by a few young players from other training academies) was formed and participated in major tournaments, they continuously created "earthquakes," with victories against very strong opponents such as the Australian U19 team, or playing on equal terms with Japan later on… and not to mention the achievement of reaching the U19 Asian Championship finals after winning against Australia 5-1, Taiwan 6-1 and Hong Kong 5-1 in the qualifying round. Therefore, names like Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong, Dong Trieu… were welcomed like heroes wherever they went.

The joy of the HAGL U19 players after their victory. (Image: Internet)

At this year's Thanh Nien Newspaper International U21 Tournament, the HAGL U19 team also created a real sensation; however, their achievements so far have largely been due to luck. Reaching the semi-finals through the draw somewhat accurately reflects the group's dynamics and confirms that the U19 players haven't completely outperformed their opponents. Despite being considered stronger, their playing style and attacking strategies seem to have been figured out by their opponents. Their strongest midfield has been completely ineffective in launching attacks against more experienced teams. Similarly, in the semi-final against the Thanh Nien Newspaper U21 team, HAGL U19 could only overcome their "older brothers" through a penalty shootout. It should also be noted that if coach Phan Cong Thin hadn't been so cautious in his tactical approach, and if the U21 players hadn't been burdened by the immense pressure from the stands and the media, the U19 HAGL team would have found it very difficult to overcome. Furthermore, the U21 Thanh Nien Newspaper team was only recently formed, so the players haven't had much time to train and play together, whereas the U19 HAGL team has lived and trained together for seven years, which is also an advantage.

In this afternoon's match (October 28th), U19 HAGL will face an opponent that is not highly rated. In fact, this is not the official U21 team of Thailand, but rather a makeshift squad. However, in the recent semi-final, U21 Thailand showed admirable resilience. After being 3-0 down against U21 Malaysia in the first half, Coach Adul Rungruang's team fought back strongly to take the game to a penalty shootout, and they won on penalties. In this afternoon's final, they will undoubtedly approach the match against U19 HAGL with the same mindset, and this is considered a significant challenge for Coach Guillaume Graechen's team. Moreover, U21 Thailand will not have to play under the same heavy psychological pressure as their U19 HAGL counterparts. They won't have to hastily explain themselves after every collision, or deal with the boos from the stands when controlling the ball… Or if they do, that's normal, because the U21 Thailand team is the real visiting team. They certainly won't hesitate to play aggressively, even roughly, against U19 HAGL. And then, players like Cong Phuong, Xuan Truong… and many others will have to play cautiously to avoid injury. Under those conditions and with their current form, if they still enter the match with the same "favorite" mindset as in the semi-final, is turning the tables and finishing second an impossible task?

Canh Nam