Regretfully losing to Iraq, U23 Vietnam stops at U23 Asian tournament
(Baonghean.vn) - The Vietnam U23 team officially stopped at the 2024 U23 Asian tournament, after a 0-1 defeat to U23 Iraq.
On the morning of April 27, U23 Vietnam will face the U23 Iraq team in the quarter-finals of the 2024 AFC U23 Championship.
The U23 Iraq team was rated higher, however, U23 Vietnam also entered the game proactively. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan's team even had the upper hand in pressing situations right on the Iraqi field.
After the first few minutes of U23 Vietnam showing positivity, the representative from West Asia then dominated the match and controlled almost the entire remaining minutes of the first half. If they had been luckier, U23 Iraq could have opened the score but the crossbar denied them.
Entering the second half, the game became more open when U23 Vietnam also created a few opportunities, including Khuat Van Khang's situation of hitting the top edge of Iraq's crossbar in the 58th minute.
Before they could convert the chances into goals, the "Golden Star Warriors" defense made a mistake just 1 minute later. Quan Van Chuan was determined to have had an impact on the opponent's movement in the penalty area and after consulting VAR technology, the referee pointed to the penalty spot.
On the 11m mark, Ali Jasim Elaibi took a penalty kick, Van Chuan guessed the right direction but could not block it. The score was 1-0 in favor of U23 Iraq.
In the following minutes, U23 Vietnam did not have many attacking opportunities as U23 Iraq still controlled the tempo of the match. The clearest opportunity probably came from Ngoc Thang's shot outside the penalty area. Things became even more difficult for U23 Vietnam when Manh Hung was sent off in the 90+1 minute. VAR technology intervened after the central defender of Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc Club used the sole of his shoe to kick his opponent's leg.
Having to play with one less player, with a tired spirit and declining physical strength, U23 Vietnam could not find an equalizer. In the end, U23 Vietnam lost 0-1 to U23 Iraq.
With this result, U23 Vietnam officially stopped at the 2024 U23 Asian Cup from the quarter-finals. However, coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team also completed the goal set before the tournament, which was to pass the group stage./.
