Defeating U23 Yemen, U23 Vietnam won a ticket to the final round of U23 Asia

Before entering the second round of Group C of the 2024 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers,U23 Vietnama 6-0 victory over U23 Guam, while U23 Yemen defeated U23 Singapore 3-0 on the opening day. Therefore, the match between host Vietnam and Yemen is considered a decisive match to win a ticket to the 2024 U23 Asian Cup finals.

In this encounter, coach Troussier still fielded a lineup that did not change much compared to the first match. Only Van Toan was allowed to start instead of Minh Khoa. Standing in the goal of the red team was still Van Viet, the goalkeeper of Song Lam Nghe An. Meanwhile, Ho Van Cuong, the player who scored the third goal against Guam in the opening match, was not allowed to start. Coach Troussier prioritized Duc Phu for the right wing.

With the home field advantage, U23 Vietnam entered the game quite proactively, taking control of the ball over the opponent. However, U23 Yemen, with their close play and not afraid of collisions, effectively limited the home team's attacking power. That was the reason why U23 Vietnam did not create any clear scoring opportunities in the first half. Not only that, if they had been better, U23 Yemen could have opened the score when facing goalkeeper Van Viet.

It can be said that in this match, the goalkeeper of Song Lam Nghe An played extremely well when successfully blocking many dangerous situations of the opponent. Especially, at the end of the first half, it was Van Viet's excellence that saved U23 Vietnam from a certain loss. In the 45'+2 minute, from a cross from the right wing, the ball was cleared right on Hussein's shot, this player's volley was strong and dangerous, but Van Viet had a timely reflex to save the goal.

In order to change the game, Coach Troussier decided to make 3 substitutions at the beginning of the second half. Ho Van Cuong, Dinh Bac, Duy Cuong replaced Ngoc Thang, Van Toan, Van Do. The trio entering the field brought many positive features to the playing style of U23 Vietnam.

In the 67th minute, Khuat Van Khang crossed the ball awkwardly from the left wing, the Yemen defender fumbled, Van Tung quickly kicked the ball from close range but the ball did not hit the goal.

Creating many opportunities, but it was not until the 84th minute of the match that U23 Vietnam got what they needed. Khuat Van Khang crossed the ball from a corner kick, Bui Vi Hao jumped high and headed it into the net, opening the score for U23 Vietnam.

In the final minutes of the match, coach Troussier's students proactively slowed down the match's tempo, so the score of 1-0 remained unchanged.

Because in the previous match, U23 Singapore was held to a 1-1 draw by U23 Guam, U23 Vietnam officially won a ticket to the 2024 U23 Asian Cup finals one round early./.