Beat Qatar and reach the final, why not?

After Thailand and Malaysia U23 were eliminated from the tournament, Vietnam U23 is now the only hope left for Southeast Asian football in the U23 Asian Cup. That is why Park Hang Seo and his players deserve the support of all Southeast Asian fans in the battle with Qatar U23 in the semi-finals.

Go out and see the mountain

As the youngest team in the 2018 AFC U23 Championship, Qatar is emerging as a strong candidate for the championship. The squad that coach Felix Sanchez brought to this tournament is considered the core of the Qatar team preparing for the 2022 World Cup held at home.

U23 Qatar currently has the strongest squad. Photo: Internet

Qatar currently has 21-year-old striker Almoez Ali, 1m80 tall, with 5 goals after 4 matches, leading the 2018 AFC U23 Championship's top scorer. The Spanish coach has Ali in his hands, becoming the youngest player in the history of the country's football, scoring in the regional U23 tournament. This player scored in Qatar's 3-2 victory over Palestine when he was only 17 years, 5 months, 2 days old.

In terms of expertise, U23 Qatar is a team with a completely different playing style compared to the opponents that U23 Vietnam has met in this tournament. The teams of Australia, Syria, Iraq and to some extent Korea all have a playing style that focuses on physical strength. Meanwhile, Qatar plays technically because they are led by a Spanish coach, Felix Sanchez. In addition to having 1 more day off than U23 Vietnam, U23 Qatar has the advantage of being familiar with the field as they have played all 4 matches at the Changzhou Olympic Sports Center.

Coach Felix Sanchez's approach to the match will also be completely different after witnessing Iraq "fall from their horse" and this coach himself once said that U23 is a "killer" of big teams.

Stubborn and reckless

In addition to professional factors, confronting the West Asian "giants" with Mr.Park Hang Seo only brave players are allowed to enter the field. It is quite trustworthy that our young players are like warriors at the moment. Xuan Manh, a player who plays as a right winger, had a good match. He entered the field with 50 touches, 25 dribbles, 1 interception, 2 fouls and a passing rate of 76%.

The joy of victory of the Vietnam U23 team in the match against Iraq U23. Photo: Internet

Meanwhile, Van Duc did even better, the SLNA midfielder had 4 shots, 1 goal and 1 decisive assist, 44 dribbles, 65 touches, 4 tackles and a successful pass rate of 75%. Van Duc's strength is his confidence in shooting the ball, regardless of distance and circumstance, if possible, he can shoot. Not to mention that U23 Vietnam still has midfielders like Trong Dai and Tien Dung who are always ready on standby.

Most likely, we will still play with the 5-4-1 formation, but under the guidance of Mr. Park, U23 Vietnam will play more unpredictable. Few people thought the players would play aerial battles with Australia and score headers against Iraq, but with Mr. Park, that happened.

As a veteran coach, Mr. Park has shown a keen eye for substitutions and the necessary “recklessness” in each stage to win. In our opinion, in the defense, Van Thanh’s position is most vulnerable to “damage” when the HAGL player has continuously worked hard through 4 matches.

At that time, it is very likely that versatile player Van Manh will be pushed to make room for Duc Huy to play right back. Most likely, Tien Dung will also be the player who has the opportunity to be put on the field in a match where the midfield consumes a lot of energy.

This is a match where the winner will play the final match of the tournament so of course it is extremely important for both teams.

The pressure is on the shoulders of the players of both teams. I am Vietnamese so of course I put all my faith in the players.

Beat Qatar and be in the final, why not?

An Thanh