Will Vietnam's U23 team continue their 'glorious dream' against Iraq's U23 team?
(Baonghean.vn) - Having lost to Uzbekistan U23 in their final match in Group D, Quan Van Chuan and his teammates will face Iraq U23 in the quarter-finals.
Despite being thrashed 0-3 by Uzbekistan U23, coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team did not feel sad or disappointed. This is because, with this result, Vietnam U23 avoided a highly-rated opponent: the defending champions, Saudi Arabia U23.
Facing U23 Iraq will give U23 Vietnam a better chance to advance further in this year's tournament. Based on the three group stage matches, U23 Iraq is not a particularly dangerous opponent, possessing a relatively small number of truly high-quality players.
Furthermore, the recent performance of the Iraq U23 team has been quite modest. Since winning the championship in 2013 and finishing third in 2016, the Iraq U23 team has failed to reach the semi-finals in the tournament in 2018, 2020, and 2022.
It's worth noting that at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship held in Changzhou (China), the Iraq U23 team was Vietnam's opponent. In the quarter-final match, coach Park Hang-seo's team brilliantly overcame Iraq U23 after a dramatic penalty shootout.
Now, Vietnam U23 will face Iraq U23 again in the quarter-finals, only this time in Qatar. Similar to the 2018 tournament, Iraq U23 is still considered the favorite. However, in football, the team considered stronger doesn't always win.
"The memories of Changzhou" are the basis for coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team's confidence in a positive result against U23 Iraq in the upcoming match, taking place at 00:30 on April 27th (Vietnam time). Will the miracle repeat itself for our team?