After Bahrain, South Korea and many other 'giants' are waiting to meet Olympic Vietnam
The Vietnam Olympic branch promises to bring many difficulties for coach Park Hang-seo and his team at this ASIAD if they overcome the Bahrain Olympic team.
In the final match of Group E of the 2018 ASIAD men's football, Olympic Bahrain defeated Malaysia with a score of 3-2, narrowly escaping into the knockout round.
The results of the draw show that Vietnam Olympic and Bahrain Olympic will face each other in the round of 16. Thanks to that, Coach Park Hang-seo and his team have avoided the two strongest opponents in Group E, Malaysia and South Korea.
Olympic Malaysia will meet Japan - the defeated team of Olympic Vietnam last Sunday. Meanwhile, Olympic Korea with the second place will not meet the team that won Group D, Olympic Vietnam, but will face Olympic Iran in another bracket.
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| Match schedule and brackets of the knockout round of men's football at the 2018 ASIAD. Graphics:Minh Phuc |
However, if Vietnam Olympic team has ambitions to reach the final, they still have to consider meeting Korea Olympic team. The bracket helps the two teams not meet in the round of 16 and quarterfinals. But if they play well, both Vietnam and Korea will face each other in the semi-finals.
If this becomes true, it can be said that coach Park Hang-seo and his players will have to face a huge challenge. South Korea suffered a shocking defeat against Olympic Malaysia but is still considered a top candidate for the championship. They own star Son Heung-min who plays for Tottenham.
Besides the Korean Olympic team, if the Vietnamese Olympic team reaches the semi-finals, who will they face? The answer could be the Uzbekistan Olympic team - the team that defeated the Vietnamese U23 team in the final match of the U23 Asian Cup in Changzhou.
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| Will Son Heung-min face Vietnam Olympic team in the semi-finals? Photo:Yonhap News. |
Recently at the U23 Four-team tournament at My Dinh Stadium, Vietnam Olympic team had to work very hard to draw with this opponent.
Entering the tournament, Uzbekistan Olympic also showed their superior strength to their opponents in the group. After 3 matches, they won 9 absolute points, scored 10 goals and did not concede any.
Their losers include Olympic Qatar - a team that received a lot of investment and was also highly rated before the ASIAD.
However, before thinking about the semi-finals and further the final, the Vietnam Olympic team needs to solve the next two matches: the round of 16 and the quarter-finals. Assuming that coach Park Hang-seo and his team overcome Bahrain, their opponents in the quarter-finals could be the Palestine Olympic or the Syria Olympic.
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| Uzbekistan Olympics can also be a potential opponent of Vietnam Olympics.Photo: Viet Hung. |
Palestine Olympic was defeated by Vietnam Olympic in the U23 Four-Nation Tournament held in Hanoi before the ASIAD. However, that was only a friendly match and nothing can be said in advance in case the two teams meet at the ASIAD.
As for the Syrian Olympic team, remember that this country's U23 team was eliminated by U23 Vietnam in the group stage of the U23 Asian Championship earlier this year. However, that was a match where goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung and his teammates had to struggle to get a draw.
And if the Vietnam Olympic team makes it to the final, which team will be waiting for Mr. Park and his team? The answer is many big names, including China, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Japan, DPRK or familiar opponent Malaysia.
