Vietnam Olympics and National Day gifts

Exactly 11 years ago at the 2007 Asian Cup, Huynh Quang Thanh and Le Cong Vinh, playing for the Vietnamese national team under the guidance of coach Riedl, defeated the UAE with a score of 2-0 right at My Dinh Stadium.

At the U.23 level, 2 years ago, the young Vietnamese players played very well, leading 2-1 thanks to Cong Phuong and Tuan Anh scoring, then losing 2-3. That was the final match of the group stage of the 2016 AFC U.23 Championship in Qatar.

The opponent is better

In terms of achievements at the Asian Games, the UAE Olympic team is better than the Vietnam Olympic team. They were the runner-up of the 2010 Asian Games (after losing to Japan) and reached the quarter-finals 4 times with a style of play that is basically no different from the Bahrain Olympic team or the Syrian Olympic team, the opponents we just defeated.

Over the past two years, while Vietnamese youth football has made certain progress, the UAE Olympic team has stagnated and Polish coach Maciej Skorza was invited to take charge more than a year ago.

In the 2018 AFC U23 Championship qualifying round, despite being the host team, UAE only finished second after Uzbekistan U23 and did not qualify for the AFC U23 Championship finals in Changzhou (China) earlier this year - a tournament in which Vietnam U23 won the runner-up position.

All Vietnamese Olympic players are ready. Photo: Internet

In this year's Asian Games group stage, the UAE Olympic team only added two players over 23 years old: defender Salem Sultan (25 years old) and striker Mohammed Khalvan (25 years old). The 46-year-old coach's target is the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, so the 2018 Asiad is just a testing ground for young players. But with the opportunity to win a medal, coach Maciej Skorza frankly stated: "When the final match is so close, such a defeat is hard to accept. Anyway, we still have the motivation to compete. The goal of the UAE U23 team is to win an Asiad medal."

Most likely, Mr. Maciej Skorza will not field 7 U21 players like the match against Japan, but will field the main players to compete with Vietnam. The most notable of these is striker Zayed Al-Ameri with 4 goals, including 2 goals against Timor Leste and a double against Indonesia in the round of 16. It is not difficult to predict that the young UAE players will play aggressively with strength, with strong physical strength and a very annoying high-speed style of play. Coach Maciej Skorza knows that the Vietnamese Olympic team has lost too much energy after the last 2 matches.

Experts and Asian bookmakers still give the UAE Olympic team a higher "odds" because people believe that the peak performance of the Vietnam Olympic team was in the match against the Syria Olympic team.

Heavenly time, favorable location, and harmony between people

Minh Vuong, after his super goal against Korea, deserves to be in the starting lineup. Photo: Internet

There were consecutive flights to Indonesia carrying fans to support the Vietnamese Olympic players. The celebration and welcome ceremony for the players along with worthy rewards were ready at My Dinh Stadium. The Vietnamese Olympic players were also given a rest and relaxation by Mr. Park and the coaching staff to recover their health before the final match.

Vietnamese football has changed a lot since Mr. Park Hang Seo. U23 Vietnam defeated Thailand right on Thai soil, won the U23 Asian Cup runner-up, won the Four Nations Cup, and entered the semi-finals of the 18th Asiad. Those are impressive achievements and we are only one match away from making history for our country's football. Everything is ready for a victory within reach! The players who took the field on the occasion of the country's National Day are eager to have a gift to thank their fans.

No one can predict exactly the starting lineup of Mr. Park Hang Seo, except that Van Hau will return to the field after his suspension. It is very possible that Minh Vuong, after his super goal against Korea with the excitement, will also be rewarded with the opportunity to play. With a veteran coach who knows how to encourage players with psychological lessons like Mr. Park, it is very possible that Duc Huy, even Xuan Truong can still play.

Coach Park Hang Seo's use of players at this Asiad is worth learning for Vietnamese coaches. Compared to the U23 Asian Cup finals earlier this year, he used 2 more players. Of the 20 players who came to Indonesia this time, only Van Loi and goalkeeper Van Hoang have not played yet. The players who played on the field all played quite well.