U22 Vietnam - U22 Thailand: All in or easy?

The men's football event of the 32nd SEA Games has entered a thrilling, intense and unpredictable phase. In Group A, using only the second team, U22 Indonesia was more than capable of defeating U22 hosts Cambodia to take the top spot. The second place for U22 Myanmar was not a surprising result and was a "gift" for the team that won Group B after the final match between U22 Thailand and U22 Vietnam.

Right after the victory over U22 Malaysia, Mr. Philippe Troussier left open the possibility of going all-in or accepting second place against Thailand to save energy for the semi-final match just 2 days later, 1 day less rest than the teams in Group A. But most recently, the statement of star Van Khang showed the determination of U22 Vietnam to win the top spot, meaning that the red-shirted army will go all-in, lose or win with the opponent, completely unafraid of difficulties in all aspects, gaining a psychological advantage for the knock-out matches ahead?

This means that the information war before the match has caused a series of confusions, making it difficult for the biggest opponent as usual. This also leads to a belief that U22 Vietnam will continue to surprise the opponent and winning the top spot will truly prove the ambition and ability to defend the Gold Medal of Coach Troussier and his team, even though it seems that they were not highly rated from the beginning of the tournament.

Remember, in recent years, the Thais have been "knocked out" many times by the red-shirted teams in youth football, of which the U19 Vietnam team under Troussier is a specific example. That was in 2019, Mr. Troussier led the U19 Vietnam team to participate in the U19 GSB Bangkok Cup international football tournament. It was Van Tung who scored the only goal to help Cong Den, Quang Thinh, Tuan Tai, and Tien Long win against the host U19 Thailand with names still present today in the U22 Thailand team such as Doloh, Purachet, Thirapak... At the U23 Asian Cup finals in 2022, it was also Van Tung who volleyed into the U23 Thailand net from a pass from Tuan Tai, raising the score to 2-1 for the U23 Vietnam team under Korean coach Gong Oh-kyun. So there is no reason for Van Tung and his teammates to fear the Thais, they even have more than enough confidence against their opponents?

It is also worth mentioning that Quang Thinh, Cong Den, Xuan Tien... defeated U23 Thailand in the final match of the Southeast Asian U23 Championship in Cambodia in 2022 in the context of the pandemic, even though the opponent may have brought to the tournament a young squad, mainly U19. But with the victory of U23 Vietnam in the final of the 31st SEA Games against U23 Thailand, do the opponents have enough reason to fear us, even though they have long believed that we are "unrivaled", capable of "snatching" the Gold Medal from Vietnam?

Of course, there is reason for many people to worry about U22 Vietnam and fear U22 Thailand after what they showed at the Doha Cup and recent matches in Group A of the men's football event at the 32nd SEA Games. The Thais are stable in terms of force and playing style thanks to the high professionalism of the Thai League, the fact that many young players are allowed to play abroad and the player naturalization policy of this powerful sport.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese football has just ended a period of many victories but has almost "hit the ceiling" when it comes to raising the level. The "new dynasty" Philippe Troussier has brought many new things, so the steps are still faltering and difficult even though they are on the right track, and the 32nd SEA Games is the first test, it can fail or it can succeed starting from the "clash" with the Thais in the match we are discussing.

After all the worries and concerns, the light of hope is also shining from the matches of U22 Vietnam. People can talk back and forth in the matches against weak opponents, but only after the 2-1 victory over U22 Malaysia did we see that the coach was right to trust in the new elements, as they played more and more maturely and explosively. However, the biggest opponent has not yet been revealed, the group stage matches, no matter how important, are not matches in the knockout rounds, so it is very possible that Mr. Troussier has not really used all the necessary tactics in the group stage matches?

The current U22 Vietnam team is no stranger to their opponents Thailand, in which Van Tung has at least "fired" 2 goals into the opponent's net, and is in form in this tournament, will make the opponent worry if they don't want to regret after the referee blows the whistle to end the match? The opponent has many strengths and strengths, but U22 Vietnam also has a solid "history" to lean on, a bright future to strive for. This final match of the group stage can therefore still be an all-out battle for both sides, containing many unexpected factors, it is impossible to predict anything or which outstanding individual?

When and only when they have a comfortable, confident mentality, not afraid of their opponents, U22 Vietnam, no matter what lineup they play with, will be able to do something to achieve favorable results, to be ready to advance to the semi-finals, regardless of whether the opponent is U22 Indonesia or U22 Myanmar.

Bui Hoa