Final list of U23 Vietnam for U23 Asian Cup finals; What did the Thai coach say before the clash with Vietnam?

Final list of U23 Vietnam to attend U23 Asia Finals

Coach Gong Oh-kyun decided to cross out 2 players to finalize the team list.U23 Vietnamattend the U23 Asian Finals.

According to the regulations of the 2022 AFC U23 Championship, each team is allowed to register 23 players. The Vietnam U23 team brought 25 players to the UAE for training and Coach Gong Oh-kyun has finalized the registration list. The two players eliminated are midfielder Tran Van Cong and striker Vu Minh Hieu.

Midfielder Tran Van Cong belongs to Ha Tinh Club, and striker Vu Minh Hieu belongs to Hoang Anh Gia Lai but is on loan to Hai Phong. Both were called up for the U23 Asian Cup, but were not part of the squad that won the Gold Medal at the 31st SEA Games.

The Vietnam U23 team still went to Uzbekistan with all 25 players and Van Cong and Minh Hieu were still kept as reserve players.

Vietnam U23 team is ready for the AFC U23 Championship Finals. Photo: VFF

As per tradition, teams can still change their registration list for the tournament at the technical meeting before the group stage, which takes place on May 31.

In the list of 23 officially registered players, the core are those who just participated in SEA Games 31 such as goalkeeper Van Toan (Hai Phong), Bui Hoang Viet Anh (Hanoi), Nguyen Thanh Binh (Viettel), Phan Tuan Tai (Dak Lak), Le Van Do (Pho Hien), Dung Quang Nho (Hai Phong), Nguyen Hai Long (Hanoi), Huynh Cong Den (Pho Hien), Nguyen Van Tung (Hanoi), Nham Manh Dung (Viettel)...

On June 2, the team will play its first match against Thailand U23. Three days later, Coach Gong Oh-kyun and his team will meet Korea U23 and Malaysia U23 on June 8.

Chelsea targets Dembele as first signing under Todd Boehly's reign

Chelsea are confident of landing winger Ousmane Dembele on a free transfer, making the French star the first signing under new boss Todd Boehly.

Dembele's current contract with Barcelona expires on June 30 and negotiations for an extension are currently at a standstill. The Nou Camp team seems to have given up on letting Dembele leave because they cannot meet the French player's new salary demands.

There are currently quite a few teams interested in Dembele and want to have the services of the former Dortmund player, in which PSG is the team that is very active in negotiating. The leaders of the team at the Parc des Princes have identified Dembele as the top target this summer, but the uncertainty about the future of Sporting Director Leonardo has made the transfer move doubtful.

Ousmane Dembele.

Chelsea are taking advantage of PSG's uncertainty to get ahead of their rivals and lure Dembele to Stamford Bridge, according to British media reports. The Blues are now ready to move in the transfer market after Todd Boehly's £4.25 billion takeover was completed on Monday. The London club have been operating under special government licence since owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned in March.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel wants to strengthen in a number of areas in the summer, but doubts over the futures of Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic mean attack will be a top priority for the German tactician.

There is growing belief that Dembele, who has scored 32 goals and provided 34 assists in 150 appearances for Barca, will join Tuchel when his contract with the Spanish side expires. The French star previously worked under Tuchel, who brought him to Dortmund in 2016.

Dembele scored 10 goals and provided 21 assists in his first season at Signal Iduna Park before making a £126m switch to Barca the following year.

U23 Vietnam experiences VAR technology for the first time in the Asian tournament

VAR technology is applied at the 2022 AFC U23 Championship Finals, so U23 Vietnam immediately "learned a lesson" upon arriving in Uzbekistan.

During the meeting and dissemination of general regulations for teams participating in the 2022 AFC U23 Championship Finals, a representative of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said that VAR technology will be applied in every match to help referees make more accurate decisions.

However, AFC emphasized that decisions based on VAR can only be used in four situations: Determining a goal or no goal, determining a penalty or no penalty, determining a direct red card situation, and determining a player to be shown a yellow or red card in case of confusion.

The meeting and dissemination of general regulations is one of the AFC's regular activities before major tournaments. During this event, the AFC emphasized the obligations and rights of teams participating in the AFC U23 Championship Finals, and updated important contents of the competition rules.

Understanding the rules will help U23 Vietnam players avoid unnecessary controversies. Photo: VFF

This helps players not to overreact in controversial situations, which can lead to receiving a penalty card. In addition, understanding the competition discipline can help Coach Gong Oh-Kyun and his team apply more flexible tactics during the match.

In addition, the AFC also specifically emphasized negative issues in football and warned of the possible consequences of any cheating, dishonest competition or match-fixing. Teams were also asked to work together to protect the image of the tournament and themselves during the competition.

LIVE2022 AFC U23 Championship Finals, U23 Vietnam is in the same group with U23 Thailand, U23 Korea and U23 Malaysia. On the morning of May 30, Coach Gong Oh-Kyun sent a preliminary list to AFC, which did not include the names of two players, Tran Van Cong and Nguyen Minh Hieu. However, according to tradition, teams can still change the list of players registered to participate in the tournament at the technical meeting before the group stage on May 31.

What did the Thailand U23 coach say before the clash with Vietnam U23?

Coach Warawut Srimakha of Thailand U23 said that the whole team is ready and confident of achieving good results in the confrontation with Vietnam U23 in the opening match of the U23 Asian Cup.

On May 29, the Thailand U23 team traveled to Uzbekistan to participate in the 2022 AFC U23 Championship. Coach Warawut Srimakha and his coaching staff accompanied 18 players.

Six other players including Suphanat Muenta, Irfan Dolo, Nopphon Lakhonphon, Sittichok Phaso, Jonathan Khemdee and Channarong Phromsri Kaew who are on club duty will join the team in Uzbekistan on May 31.

"Currently, all the Thai U23 players are ready for the U23 Asian Cup and are confident of doing well in each match. The important thing for us now is to rest. It took us nearly 17 hours to travel, so rest is very necessary," said coach Warawut Srimakha.

U23 Thailand is ready to face U23 Vietnam at the 2022 AFC U23 Championship Finals.

The coach of U23 Thailand also shared that, in the team, player Patrik Gustavsson's father has brain cancer and the situation has worsened. The Swedish striker has planned to fly to Europe to visit his father. However, Patrik Gustavsson still joins U23 Thailand in the journey to the U23 Asian Cup because his family has contracted COVID-19 so the 21-year-old striker cannot return to Sweden.

At the 2022 AFC U23 Championship, Thailand U23 is in Group C with South Korea, Vietnam and Malaysia. In the opening match on June 2, Thailand U23 will meet Vietnam U23. Then, the Golden Temple team will face Malaysia on June 5 and finally meet South Korea on June 8.

"I am satisfied with the team's preparation. Our goal is to pass the group stage. We will take it step by step," Coach Warawut Srimakha emphasized.

Thanh Hien