The failure of the U19 team and a reminder for Vietnamese football

U19 Vietnam performed poorly in the draw with U19 Myanmar on the opening day of this year's tournament. And that made many people not appreciate the level of coach Hua Hien Vinh and his team, especially when U19 Vietnam had to face U19 Australia, which had won against U19 Laos.

U19 Vietnam still did not have many improvements compared to the previous match. And when facing U19 Australia, which was stronger in all aspects, Coach Hua Hien Vinh's team had to suffer consecutive defeats. It must also be mentioned that the pressure to win against U19 Australia, which was too strong, made it difficult for U19 Vietnam players in all ways.

U19 Australia showed remarkable pragmatism in their attacks. Coach Trevor Morgan's team punished the mistakes and wastefulness of U19 Vietnam with 2 consecutive goals in the first half. Najkovski scored a double against Cao Van Binh. But it did not stop there, early in the second half, Sulemani raised the score to 3-0 for U19 Australia.

Fans watching the match can witness the always dangerous attacks of the U19 Australia. The future hopes of Australian football are being promoted to the first team by A-League clubs to test their skills in the National Championship.

And Coach Trevor Morgan's students showed a level superior to Cong Phuong and his teammates. Coach Hua Hien Vinh has a team with very few outstanding players and most of them are playing in the First Division, the youth teams of domestic clubs.

After losing 0-3, U19 Vietnam had a new hope thanks to Quang Dung's long-range shot. The most impressive player of U19 Vietnam in this year's tournament was just used by Hue Club to play in the 2023/24 National First Division. Quang Dung followed the strategy of Coach Hua Hien Vinh, finishing decisively from a distance as soon as he had the chance. The long-range shots of the Hue-born player helped U19 Vietnam score 2 goals in this year's tournament.

However, that effort was just like "a drop in the ocean". The negligence of the U19 Vietnam players made Cao Van Binh helpless to receive 3 more goals. Striker Najdocski completed his own hat-trick in this match in the 66th minute. Then, Heweh and Vickery scored 2 more goals for U19 Australia.

Coach Hua Hien Vinh's team scored a goal from the 11m mark in the 86th minute thanks to Bao Long. U19 Vietnam accepted the 2-6 loss and this result makes it difficult to hope to continue. After two matches, U19 Vietnam only has 1 point, with a goal difference of -4.

U19 Vietnam must aim to win big against U19 Laos in the final match and wait for positive results in the remaining two groups to hope to secure a spot for the second-place team with the best record in the semi-finals. What has happened shows that Coach Hua Hien Vinh's team is still very young and not as good in terms of expertise as its regional opponents.

Australian football has just won the 2024 Southeast Asian U16 Championship (beating Thailand U16 in the final). And the Australian U19 team also gave the rest of the region a "headache" when returning to the regional playground. Australian youth football has always been a force compared to Southeast Asian teams. Although only occasionally registered to participate, the Australian U19 team also holds the record of winning the Southeast Asian U19 Championship 5 times (equal to Thailand U19) after 18 times this tournament has been held.

When the Australian youth team participates in regional competitions, it can be considered a good thing for Southeast Asian football to review itself. Asian football representatives regularly have a place in the World Cup, showing that the foundation of the youth teams is very solid. The strength of Australian football is inherited and promoted, helping the Australian team to always be a force in Asian football.

Vietnamese football will have another chance to look back at itself after a failure. Although it still maintains the youth league system and youth training centers in many clubs and localities, having a strong youth team and a generation of good players is not a simple matter.