Vietnam makes a splash - advances straight to U20 World Cup 2017

Defeating host Bahrain 1-0 in the quarter-finals of the U19 Asian Cup on October 23, Vietnam for the first time in history has a place at the World Youth Championship taking place next year.

When blowing the final whistle at minute 90+7, Qatari referee Al Marri not only ended a successful match for the Vietnam U19 team, but also marked a new milestone in the football history of the S-shaped land.

With a 1-0 victory over host Bahrain, coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team made a great double. This is the first time Vietnam has reached the semi-finals of a continental U19 tournament, and thereby won a ticket to the U20 World Cup finals for the first time. Being present at the playground that has produced legends such as Diego Maradona, Oleg Salenko, Luis Figo, Rui Costa, Pablo Aimar, Robert Prosinecki, Aguero, Messi, Paul Pogba... is no longer a wild dream, but has become a reality for Vietnamese football. Next year, Tran Thanh, Trong Dai, Tien Dung, Duc Chinh... will be in Korea to attend the biggest festival of world youth football.

Against Bahrain, who were rated higher in every aspect, the young Vietnamese players continued to surprise by winning, to advance to the semi-finals. Photo: AFC.

Tran Thanh scored the only goal in the 72nd minute, with a legendary kick in the penalty area, deciding the fate of the quarter-final match against the home team. But like the journey before, with one win and two draws in the group stage, the victory ofU19 VietnamOn October 23, the team continued to leave a strong impression. There, Tran Thanh's teammates, such as goalkeeper Tien Dung, the central midfielder pair Trong Dai - Tien Dung, midfielder Minh Di... also had an excellent performance, contributing to the historic victory.

Facing a Bahrain team with the second best goalscoring record in the group stage and actively attacking right after the opening whistle, coach Hoang Anh Tuan's students chose a solid defense. The white-shirted team actively pressed, fought fiercely and maintained a good formation distance. It was certainly not a beautiful, attractive football for the majority of viewers, but it was a reasonable choice, helping Vietnam stand firm and repel each siege of the opponent.

Bahrain could only hold the ball a lot, but could not penetrate the effective defense system with the blocking midfielder pair Trong Dai - Tien Dung and the defenders always closing in very quickly of Vietnam. In the rare times they got past that wall, the Bahrain players continued to be discouraged when facing goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung. The goalkeeper from Thanh Hoa had a series of reasonable moves in and out, catching or clearing the ball accurately, adding confidence to his teammates up front.

After successfully holding out in the first half, coach Hoang Anh Tuan made adjustments to improve the attacking ability in the second half. From a 4-2-3-1 formation with Tran Thanh playing the highest, the coach from Khanh Hoa switched Vietnam to a 4-4-2 formation by withdrawing right-sided player Van Hao from the field to make room for the main striker Duc Chinh.

This change helped the white team's attacks become more defined and dangerous. They warned the home team with a near-goal from Ho Minh Di in the 61st minute and concretized it with the opening goal in the 72nd minute. From a free kick on the right wing, Quang Hai stuffed the ball into the 16m50 area, where Minh Di comfortably volleyed. Tran Thanh connected with just enough force, sending the ball over the head of the Bahrain goalkeeper and into the top corner of the goal.

Tran Thanh was first in the starting lineup at the 2016 AFC U19 Championship and marked that milestone by scoring the winning goal for Vietnam. Photo: AFC.

Conceding a goal, Bahrain reinforced their attack by sending two more strikers onto the field. However, for the rest of the match, they failed to create any truly dangerous chances. Meanwhile, the young Vietnamese players proactively slowed down the tempo and continued to defend tenaciously. When necessary, coach Hoang Anh Tuan's players still committed just enough fouls to prevent the opponent's attacking efforts and reduce the pressure on their own goal.

That "adult-like" way of playing helped Vietnam successfully maintain the score of 1-0 until the end of the match, even though the team was down to only 10 players when they left the field. After a series of selfless efforts, captain Trong Dai suffered an injury in the second half's extra time and could not continue playing in the last few minutes.

After the quarter-final match, coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team will have four days to rest before playing the semi-final match on October 27, against the winner of the third quarter-final match between Japan and Tajikistan.

According to VNE