Losing to U20 Iran, U20 Vietnam was eliminated from U20 Asia

Despite playing with great effort, U20 Vietnam could not continue their dream at the 2023 AFC U20 Championship. Photo: VFF

To ensure a place in the quarter-finals,U20 Vietnamneed at least a draw against U20 Iran in the final match of Group B, AFC U20 Championship 2023.

Before this match, coach Hoang Anh Tuan said: "U20 Vietnam must forget the past two victories and need to focus on the match with Iran." Saying that shows that the coach from Khanh Hoa understands very well the strength that Iran has.

Because Ho Van Cuong was injured in the match against Qatar, only Nguyen Hoang and Cao Van Binh from Song Lam Nghe An were in the starting lineup. Surprisingly, Van Truong and Quoc Viet had to sit on the bench. The replacements were Dinh Bac and Vi Hao.

As expected, U20 Iran showed their strength as soon as the ball rolled. Coach Samad Marfavi's team took the initiative to control the game and pressured U20 Vietnam right from the start.

With superior physique and physical strength, U20 Iran chose the high ball option to approach Van Binh's goal. Right in the 6th minute, Samad Marfavi's students had the first dangerous opportunity. From a high ball hanging from the left wing, Hazbavi jumped high to head the ball, but Cao Van Binh played excellently when he jumped up to save the goal for his team.

Despite being pressured, U20 Vietnam was not too passive in defensive situations. Besides limiting the opponent's attacks, coach Hoang Anh Tuan's team still regularly organized sharp counter-attacks. The most notable opportunity that U20 Vietnam created came in the 15th minute. From a set-piece free kick, Van Khang took a powerful shot, the ball spun, making it impossible for goalkeeper Mersad Seifi to block. However, the ball hit the post and flew out.

Because in the match at the same time, U20 Australia was leading U20 Qatar, so to advance, U20 Iran had to win. Therefore, this team put all its forces on the field of U20 Vietnam to look for opportunities. And with a diverse approach to U20 Vietnam's goal, U20 Iran caused many difficulties for Van Binh. In the 20th minute, Fakhrian headed the ball but luckily for U20 Vietnam, the ball went wide.

However, in the 36th minute, U20 Iran got what they needed. From a set piece free kick on the left wing, defender Hazbavi jumped high and headed the ball into Van Binh's net, opening the score for Iran.

With the result, U20 Australia is leading U20 Qatar, so U20 Vietnam needs to equalize, if they do not want to be eliminated.

With the advantage in physique and physical strength, U20 Iran got what they needed. Photo: VFF

Entering the second half, coach Hoang Anh Tuan decided to put Van Truong and Quoc Viet on the field with the hope of creating more pressure on Mersad Seifi's goal.

The presence of these two players helped U20 Vietnam control the ball better and create quite unpredictable attacks.

After more than 10 minutes of pushing up the formation to attack, U20 Vietnam got the equalizer. From Hong Phuc's effort to climb the right wing, this defender made a pass back into the penalty area, Khuat Van Khang rushed in at the right time to finish, burning Mersad Seifi's net.

If this score remained, U20 Iran would be eliminated, so coach Samad Marfavi's students tried to pressure U20 Vietnam. After many sieges on Van Binh's goal, in the 75th minute, U20 Iran once again took the lead. From the right wing, Safari Laksar passed Duc Anh and then passed back to Saed Saharkhizan to raise the score to 2-1.

After conceding the goal, U20 Vietnam pushed up to attack and created some dangerous chances on the opponent's goal, but their shots could not beat goalkeeper Mersad Seifi. The most unfortunate chance that U20 Vietnam created came in the 84th minute, Khuat Van Khang passed the ball well, creating an opportunity for Quoc Viet to head the ball at close range. But goalkeeper Mersad reacted well, saving the goal for Iran.

In the extra time, U20 Vietnam conceded another goal after a lightning counterattack by U20 Iran players. The goal that raised the score to 3-1 for Iran was scored by Hosseinnezhad.

Although they had 6 points after the first 2 matches, the 1-3 defeat against U20 Iran forced U20 Vietnam to say goodbye to the 2023 U20 Asia after finishing the group stage./.