Vietnam Olympic Team vs. Bahrain Olympic Team: Reunion with an old friend.

Coach Samir Chammam frankly admitted that this is a generation of young players meant for the future rather than for success at the 18th Asian Games. Reaching the round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams was already a success for the Bahrain Olympic team; who their opponent was was no longer that important.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Vision

At this year's 18th Asian Games, Bahrain, along with Saudi Arabia and Japan, brought very young squads to Indonesia, with no players over 23 years old. The football teams of these three countries are all aiming to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and they are using the 2018 Asian Games as an important stepping stone to hone the experience of their long-term investment in U21 players.

In coach Samir Chammam's squad, there are 10 players born in 1997, 6 players born in 1998, 3 players born in 1999, and notably, striker Ahmed Alsherooqi is only 18 years old this year (born in 2000).

Coach Samir Chammam frankly admitted that this generation of young players is more suited for the future than for achievements at the 18th Asian Games. Photo: Internet

With a relatively young squad, Bahrain suffered a crushing 6-0 defeat against South Korea in their opening match. It was a major shock, but they didn't give up. In the next match, captain Mohamed Hardan and his teammates put in a tremendous effort to secure a dramatic 2-2 draw against Kyrgyzstan, with Sanad scoring the equalizer in the 90+4 minute.

And they seized the opportunity by beating Malaysia 3-2 to advance to the round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams. It's difficult to say exactly how strong Bahrain is because Malaysia only used a reserve squad in their final match after securing first place in the group.

Bahrain's Olympic team plays a fairly simple style, relying heavily on long, high balls. When awarded corner kicks, the ball is always directed towards defender Hasan Alkarrani (1.85m), Ahmed Bughammar (1.81m), and captain Mohamed Hardan (1.83m) – the tallest players on the team, excluding the two goalkeepers.

Five players – captain Mohamed Hardan, goalkeeper Ammar Ahmed, defender Hamad Alshamsan, midfielder Mohamed Marhoon, and forward Hashim Hashim – are considered key players for the Bahrain Olympic team. They started all three group stage matches and possess excellent physical fitness.

Captain Mohamed Hardan, a player currently playing in the Danish SuperLiga, not only scored two goals against Malaysia but also displayed great skill and intelligence in midfield. This playmaker consistently made well-planned passes to the flanks and through the center.

Reuniting with an old friend.

Ten players from the Bahrain Olympic team who suffered a 0-1 defeat against Vietnam U19 in the 2016 AFC U19 Asian Championship quarter-finals on home soil are Yusuf Shabaan, Ammar Ahmed, Abdulaziz Al Kandari, Sabba Husain, Ahmed Bughammar, Hamad Al Shamsan, Mohamed Jasim Marhoon, Sayed Ebrahim, Hasan Al Karani, and Sayed Hashim. Coach Abdulaziz Abdo Omar resigned shortly after the match.

On our side, four U19 Vietnam players contributed to that victory: goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung, defender Doan Van Hau, midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai, and striker Ha Duc Chinh.

Asian Games 2018 Men's Football Tournament Bracket. Image: Internet

Because they qualified for the round of 16 through a "lucky draw," Coach Samir didn't have much time to gather information about the Vietnamese Olympic team, except to know that Coach Park Hang Seo's team had won Group D.

According to coach Samir, Bahrain will only study the Vietnamese Olympic team after the match against Malaysia, as they may be a very technically skilled team that adheres to a three-defender formation.

In 2010, at the Guangzhou Asian Games, the Vietnamese Olympic team, under the guidance of coach Phan Thanh Hung, defeated the Bahrain Olympic team 3-1. Anh Duc scored the goal that extended Vietnam's lead to 3-0. The skillful and quick-witted Vietnamese players have always been a formidable opponent for the young West Asian players.

Hopefully, this time Anh Duc, Van Duc, and their teammates will secure another victory to advance our team to the next round.