Lessons from U20 Vietnam's draw against New Zealand

(Baonghean.vn) - After the brave match against U20 New Zealand, U20 Vietnam did better than what fans expected. And to get that,not only thanks to a great coach but alsothanks to a scientific, detailed plan for a tournament.

Against New Zealand at the world championship, U20 Vietnam controlled the ball up to 60% in the first 45 minutes. That figure for the entire 90 minutes was 54%, higher than the opponent's 46%. Not only that, the referee ignored the penalty in the first half when the ball clearly touched the hand of a New Zealand defender in the penalty area.

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan's role in the Vietnam U20 team and Vietnamese football in general is undeniable - Photo: FIFA

However, the most regrettable opportunity that U20 Vietnam created was when they were only 10m away from the opponent's goal and completely empty, Hoang Duc kicked the ball out in the 86th minute...

All of those statistics and situations reflect that the draw is a regrettable result for coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team. Because the opponent New Zealand is not as strong as initially predicted when 2 years ago, also in the 2015 U20 World Cup finals, host New Zealand crushed Myanmar 5-1.

The strength of the New Zealand team is only superior to Vietnam in height. And goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung and the defense have excellently resolved all the aerial battles that the New Zealand team proactively deployed to maximize the height advantage.

Apart from this and nothing outstanding, the New Zealand team did not leave any clear mark. In terms of speed, individual technique, dexterity, agility, and team coordination, they were completely inferior to U20 Vietnam. Realizing this, the U20 Vietnam coaching staff did not hesitate to play offensively as soon as the opening whistle blew.

In this match, goalkeeper Tien Dung is the best support of the U20 Vietnam team. In addition, the defense after important and valuable friendly matches such as the match against Argentina has organized to cover each other very well, as well as always clearing the ball decisively, fighting for the ball fiercely but not violently to ensure maximum safety.

However, it is necessary to mention the fighting spirit, the confidence regardless, this is the first time participating in the world arena. Although right from the first shots, to the last opportunities that coach Hoang Anh Tuan's students created, the impatience and mentality were clearly revealed...

Anyway, we have to be satisfied with 1 point, although we regret that we could have earned all 3 points against a weak opponent like New Zealand.

Although the Vietnam U20 team faced many difficulties right from the beginning of preparing for the tournament, it is still a good team built by coach Hoang Anh Tuan - Photo: FIFA

To have a match like this, we must recognize the fact that the U20 Vietnam team had a detailed, scientific and serious preparation plan. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan is the best qualified coach in Vietnam, so it is clear that his analysis and calculation to prepare the physical strength of his students is completely correct.

Second, technical director Jurgen Gede and coach Hoang Anh Tuan did a good job of choosing the right playing style. Correctly analyzing the opponent's strength to come up with a reasonable strategy.

Besides, there are also friendly matches worth billions or at least training trips to Europe. In Thai football, young teams get to compete with very strong opponents and Vietnam needs to promote this. Only by competing with stronger opponents can Vietnamese teams improve their weaknesses.

In the next match, U20 Vietnam will meet France. An opponent far behind us in terms of level, so we can only hope for another good match for U20 Vietnam against Honduras because we have not scored a goal in this tournament.

However, after the World Cup, people will certainly realize that Vietnamese football can completely surpass its own capacity if well prepared and with serious work from the Vietnam Football Federation.

Trung Kien