Vietnam U16 excelled in entering the quarterfinals of the U16 Asian tournament

Coach Dinh The Nam and his team won 3-1 to advance to second place in Group B, meeting Iran in the next round of the tournament taking place in India.

Similar to the matches against Japan and Australia, Vietnam's defense started the match without concentration, leading to an early goal. However, coach Dinh The Nam's team succeeded in making up for their defense with two goals from Khac Khiem and Viet Cuong, along with a missed save from goalkeeper Sychev, helping Vietnam come from behind to win the final match of the group stage.

Vietnam started the tournament with a 0-7 loss to Japan but then consecutively defeated Australia and Kyrgyzstan to reach the quarter-finals. Photo: Duc Dong.

With three points but a better goal difference (-6 vs. -7), Vietnam only needed a draw to advance. However, coach Dinh The Nam's team did not choose a defensive style of play but pushed up their formation, fiercely competing right from the opponent's half. When the match was balanced, Vietnam unexpectedly conceded a goal. In the fifth minute, Alykulov curled the ball into the far corner, forcing goalkeeper Huu Tuan to dive as far as he could but could not save the goal.

Despite conceding an early goal, Vietnam did not lose heart. The red team calmly organized attacks, with diverse attacks from the wing and the center. And in the 20th minute, their efforts were rewarded. Khac Khiem quickly rushed in to score after his teammate's long-range shot.hit the crossbar. At the end of the first half, Kyrgyzstan's net shook once more when Shigaibaev awkwardly put the ball into the home team's goal. However, the goal was not recognized for Vietnam because the referee determined that Huynh Sang had committed an offside error earlier.

In the second half, Vietnam played more safely, concentrating in the midfield to control the ball. The solid play of the red team made it impossible for Kyrgyzstan to launch an attack, forcing them to switch to playing high balls to overcome the midfield. Even so, Vietnam's defenders still easily neutralized the attack.

The attack was deadlocked, and Kyrgyzstan's defense could not avoid mistakes. In the 80th minute, from a free kick that was not dangerous and not under pressure, goalkeeper Elgard Sychev failed to catch it, letting the ball hit his teammate's head and roll into the net. The second goal caused Kyrgyzstan to lose morale. As a result, the white team conceded another goal when there were only two minutes left in regulation time. Dinh Hai made a cross for Viet Cuong to rush up and shoot diagonally to make the score 3-1. Both of these players were sent onto the field by coach Dinh The Nam in the second half.

U16 Vietnam played explosively after falling behind in the fifth minute.

The quarter-final match with Iran will take place on September 25. If Vietnam wins, they will win a ticket to the 2017 U17 World Cup.

According to VNE