SEA Games 31: What happens when the stronger team doesn't win?
(Baonghean.vn) - There were also draws for Vietnamese football recently, but the 1-1 draw between the Vietnam national team away against Japan in the third round of World Cup qualifiers and the 0-0 draw between Vietnam U23 and Philippines U23 in the group stage of SEA Games 31 were notable.
This match has generated conflicting emotions and opinions among experts and fans.
Because, in this story, Vietnamese football is in two contrasting situations: the Japanese national team is a top team in the continent compared to the top team in the region, the Vietnamese national team; and the U23 Vietnamese team is the host and the reigning SEA Games gold medalist compared to the U23 Philippines, which is only an average team at the regional level. Therefore, Vietnamese experts and fans are overjoyed when...Vietnam National TeamThe recent draw against Japan perfectly reflects the mood of the Filipinos after their recent draw against Vietnam's U23 team.
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| Coach Park Hang-seo had the Vietnam U23 team train behind closed doors, avoiding any prying eyes. (Photo: VFF) |
There are two sides to the aforementioned issue, at least in football. A draw for a team considered weaker often brings confidence and a certain degree of progress against a stronger team, potentially boosting their momentum. On the other hand, a draw against a strong team in a match never means equal play or a fair game that can change the course of the game later on. More specifically, the Vietnamese national team recently, or the U23 Philippines team today, should only focus on how well they played and refrain from dreaming of overthrowing their opponents in the near future, as football always has its own rules regarding the strong, the superior, the level, and the entire tournament, not just a single match…
This is clearly demonstrated within Vietnamese football, and coach Park Hang-seo himself has proven it. The Indonesian national team may have endured a tough match to secure a draw against Vietnam in the 2021 AFF Cup, but just a few months later, the same coach and team suffered a 0-3 defeat against Vietnam's U23 team, repeating the same tactics. Park Hang-seo, however, possessed the cunning to break down his opponent's "secret weapon." The problem for Park Hang-seo and Vietnam's U23 team is that while they perform brilliantly against their biggest rival, Indonesia, they become stagnant, lose their rhythm, and are less effective than usual against a weaker opponent like the Philippines. Addressing this root cause will allow Vietnam's U23 team to move steadily and quickly towards their ultimate goal. Otherwise, the "ghost of the AFF Cup" will reappear, causing difficulties and hindering the red-shirted team's progress in the future.
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| The Vietnam U23 team will assemble on April 7th in Hanoi. (Photo: Hai Hoang) |
Clearly, Park Hang-seo's decision to deploy all his resources and talent to battle the strongest opponent in the group, whether intentionally or not, exposed his best and strongest players to his opponent. Therefore, the Philippines, even before the match, boldly declared they were "not easy to play against," and they achieved this with little difficulty, employing a highly solid, multi-layered 5-4-1 formation.
The two wingers of the Vietnam U23 team are always encouraged to push forward, and when they have the ball to attack, they either pass aimlessly into the box like Van Do did, making it easy for the opponent to clear, or they get close to the sideline and pass back up like Van Xuan did, but it's not easy for Tien Linh or other strikers to finish easily and accurately when they are surrounded.
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| The Vietnam U23 team currently has 32 players for the SEA Games 31 campaign. (Photo: Archival image) |
U23 Vietnam's attempts to attack through the center were unsuccessful due to the defensive walls that maintained their positions. Even when they had the ball in the penalty area, there were no openings to choose from, only shots that hit waiting opponents. These difficulties combined to prevent U23 Vietnam from making the most of set pieces, whether direct free kicks or corner kicks. Although Van Do and Thanh Binh had performed well in other matches, their chances here were repeatedly missed, frustratingly.
In short, even a top team in the continent like Japan has encountered this, so it's normal for the Vietnam U23 team to be held to a draw by the Philippines U23's defensive style and acceptance of being outplayed. There's nothing to worry about or be upset about. A stronger, better-playing team can still be caught off guard and suffer defeat; this is not uncommon in top-level football. Therefore, a draw isn't the end of the world when the tournament has only gone through two rounds. Perhaps the draw against the Philippines U23 is a necessary early warning for the Vietnam U23 team, bringing Coach Park Hang-seo's team back down to earth after their earlier triumph against Indonesia U23.
It's worth noting that in their opening match in Group B, U23 Thailand received a red card and suffered a comeback defeat against U23 Malaysia. However, this doesn't diminish the chances of the top team in the region competing; in fact, it might even fuel their determination and fighting spirit in the future. U23 Vietnam will certainly gain a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses after this unexpected draw, allowing them to truly shine in the most crucial moments of the tournament ahead. When the stronger team fails to win a match, they should cautiously bounce back and make the necessary comeback. That's what we should really look forward to and hope for at this SEA Games 31.
