Pham Van Quyen: 'U22 Thailand was lucky to draw with U22 Vietnam'

Commenting on the two goals conceded by U22 Vietnam at the beginning of the match, coach Pham Van Quyen said: “U22 Vietnam took the initiative to enter the game and arranged the squad quite reasonably. In the first goal conceded, goalkeeper Van Toan received an unfavorable pass back and did not handle it well. However, it must be said that U22 Thailand was lucky in this situation.”

“In the next goal, goalkeeper Van Toan was not to blame, he blocked the first shot, the U22 Vietnam defense did not cover each other well and the follow-up shot was unavoidable,” said the former Vietnam national team striker.

Besides, the former striker from Nghe An said that this was a match in which U22 Vietnam played well in attack and showed their bravery at the right time. He said: "In the situation of being behind, U22 Vietnam did not show any signs of being nervous. Tien Linh's goal just 4 minutes after conceding the goal was proof. This was an extremely important goal that helped U22 Vietnam gain more confidence."

Ha Duc Chinh is the player that coach Park sent onto the field from the first half. Photo: Hai Hoang

“To be fair, U22 Thailand scored 2 goals but they were lucky and helpless against the way U22 Vietnam played. Coach Akira Nishino’s students did not attack clearly, relied on individuals and did not create enough pressure against the Vietnamese defense.

Thailand's quality shots were also very limited. Luckily, Thailand U22 drew with Vietnam, but in the final minutes they could not find a way into the Vietnamese goal. If the Thai goalkeeper had not been excellent, we would have won," Van Quyen shared with Nghe An Newspaper reporter.

Former striker Pham Van Quyen is working in youth training at SLNA. Photo: Tuan Huu

With the necessary pressure after having scored a goal to reduce the score, U22 Vietnam continued to focus on attacking on both sides. Coach Pham Van Quyen was also impressed with the way Coach Park Hang-seo changed tactics and personnel.

“The decision to put Duc Chinh on the field so that U22 Vietnam could play with two strikers brought immediate results. The Thai defense had to assign more people to block Duc Chinh so that his teammates could have more space to coordinate.

Right at the beginning of the second half, Duc Chien was also sent onto the field to support the defense for Viet Hung, who was not playing well. Once again, coach Park Hang-seo pulled Trong Hoang back to play right-back and asked him to regularly join the attack. That increased the attacking power of U22 Vietnam," Van Quyen commented.

Thailand's goalkeeper played very well. Photo: Hai Hoang

With Quang Hai absent, Van Quyen was impressed with Hoang Duc's performance in this match: "Hoang Duc is getting better and better and his mark in this match is huge. The penalty has Hoang Duc's mark. If Quang Hai is absent for a long time, Hoang Duc can take on the responsibility that Coach Park assigned."

In the semi-finals, U22 Vietnam will face U22 Cambodia. Van Quyen said: "With Park Hang-seo's arrangement and tactical changes, U22 Vietnam has a great chance of reaching the final. However, we need to be vigilant because Cambodia plays very well on artificial turf and physical fitness must be ensured. The players have played 5 matches, so surely the U22 Vietnam coaching staff will have reasonable calculations."

U22 Vietnam eliminated U22 Thailand from SEA Games 30

(Baonghean.vn) – Despite being at a disadvantage after conceding two quick goals due to defensive mistakes, U22 Vietnam was not shaken by U22 Thailand. Coach Park Hang-seo’s players calmly turned the situation around and achieved a favorable result.