U23 Vietnam - U23 Thailand: Strong attack meets solid defense
(Baonghean.vn) - At 7:00 p.m. today (May 22), the final match of men's football at the 31st Sea Games between U23 Vietnam and U23 Thailand will take place at My Dinh Stadium.
Before the final match against U23 Thailand, goalkeeper Nguyen Van Toan of U23 Vietnam had kept a clean sheet for 480 consecutive minutes. No team has done the same sinceSea Games 21, held in Malaysia in 2001, was the first Sea Games to limit the age of players participating in men's football.
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The U23 Vietnam defense (in white) is an "unbreakable fortress". Photo: Referee |
To achieve this "unprecedented" achievement, the credit does not only belong to the defense. Under the leadership of coach Park Hang-seo, the playing style of U23 Vietnam at this time is similar to that of the Vietnam National Team, always emphasizing the collective spirit, with smooth coordination and active support between positions on the field.
Specifically, the trio of central midfielders and the pair of strikers not only play the role of finding goals, but also have to take on the role of blocking from afar in counter-attacks and attacks of the opponent. Thanks to that, goalkeeper Nguyen Van Toan's goal has become an "unbreakable fortress", at least until now.
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| Ben Davis (number 17) is one of the most dangerous strikers of U23 Thailand. Photo: Dau Tien Dat |
On the other side of the front line, U23 Thailand possesses an attack that is considered the most dangerous in men's football at the 31st Sea Games. On the journey to the final match, coach Alexandre Polking's students scored a total of 13 goals, more than double the number of goals scored by U23 Vietnam (13 compared to 7).
Witnessing the performances of Ekanit Panya and his teammates in the last 5 matches, it can be seen that U23 Thailand has a quite diverse playing style. Coach Alexandre Polking's team is both dangerous in attacking from the flanks and dangerous in the middle, with flexible movement of the players.
Besides the playing style typical of coach Alexandre Polking, U23 Thailand also has the presence of excellent attacking stars, typically Ekanit Panya, Weerathep Pomphan, Patrik Gustavsson, Korawich Tasa and especially Ben Davis, the player currently playing in England for Oxford United Club.
Through what has been mentioned, it can be affirmed that the strength of Thailand U23's attack is a high-dose test for the solidity of Vietnam U23's defense, and vice versa. The most regrettable thing for both teams is the absence of Le Van Xuan (injury) and William Weidersjo (card penalty)./.