'Mission impossible' of U21 SLNA in the 2019 National U21 qualifying round?
(Baonghean.vn) - Coach Nguyen Dinh Dung and his team have been in Hanoi for more than a week to prepare for the matches in the second phase of the 2019 National U21 Qualifying Round.
At the end of phase 1 (which took place in June), U21 SLNA did not gain any points after 2 consecutive defeats against U21 Cong An Nhan Dan (0-1) and U21 Pho Hien (0-5). With such a situation, the chance for Duong Van Cuong and his teammates to be present at the 2019 National U21 Finals is extremely small.
According to the match schedule, in the second phase (taking place from September 27 to October 1), coach Nguyen Dinh Dung and his team will face U21 Viettel, U21 Hanoi and U21 Nam Dinh respectively. These are all considered quite strong opponents, especially U21 Hanoi - currently leading Group A, with 6 absolute points.
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| SLNA U21 squad participating in the 2019 National U21 Qualifying Round. Photo courtesy |
The regulations of this year's tournament stipulate: The 3 first-place teams, 3 second-place teams and the third-place team with the best results will compete with the host team (U21 HAGL) in the 2019 National U21 Finals, held at Pleiku Stadium and Kon Tum Stadium from October 13 to 22.
It is known that coach Nguyen Dinh Dung and his team traveled to Hanoi more than a week ago to prepare for the remaining matches in the second phase of the 2019 National U21 Qualifying Round. In the capital, U21 SLNA also played 2 friendly matches with U21 People's Public Security (0-0 draw) and U19 Vietnam (0-1 loss).
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| U21 SLNA (yellow) in a friendly match with U19 Vietnam. Photo: VFF |
Despite facing numerous disadvantages, the opportunities for U21 SLNA are not over yet. Don’t forget that in football, anything can happen. Hopefully, the young team from Nghe An will “squeeze through the narrow door” to win a ticket to the 2019 National U21 Finals./.
