U19 Korea was lucky to escape defeat against U19 Vietnam
After a 0-0 draw against U19 Morocco, the U19 Vietnam team is quite confident entering the final match of the U19 Suwon JS Cup against U19 Korea on the afternoon of April 22.
The home team is highly rated thanks to its squad of young stars playing for European clubs such as defender Kim Hyun-woo (GNK Dinamo Zagreb) and midfielder Ahn June-hyuk (Villarreal).
Coach Hoang Anh Tuan still maintains the most stable squad he has with Manh Dung and Minh Binh playing as strikers, Hong Son and Huu Thang in midfield, the central defender pair Viet Anh - Duy Kien and goalkeeper Y Eli Nie.
Under the rain at Suwon World Cup Stadium, U19 Vietnam started the match quite proactively against the home team. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan's students did not hesitate to fight fiercely for the ball against the pressing style of U19 Korea.
However, in a chaotic situation in the 12th minute, Y Eli Nie's net shook. From a lackadaisical tackle by the defense, defender Ko Jun-hee unleashed a powerful left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area to open the scoring for U19 Korea.
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| Vietnam U19 team. Photo: Goal |
Despite conceding the goal, U19 Vietnam was not shaken and continued to calmly play the ball with their signature passing style and accelerating at the right time. The visitors' efforts were rewarded in the 36th minute when Manh Dung skillfully hooked the ball into the home team's net.
It seems that the cheering of a large number of fans along with Vietnam national team head coach Park Hang-seo in the stands helped the Vietnam U19 players play with enthusiasm in the second half.
They calmly defended against the attacks of U19 Korea and then counter-attacked at high speed, causing the home team's goal to shake many times. Manh Dung even shot the ball against the U19 Korea post in the 75th minute.
Despite continuously pressing the field in the final minutes of the match, U19 Vietnam could not put the ball into the net of U19 Korea and had to accept a 1-1 draw. Thus, U19 Vietnam ended the U19 Suwon JS Cup with 1 loss and 2 draws.
Starting lineup: Y Eli Nie; Sy Hoang, Duy Kien, Viet Anh, Van Toi, Hong Son, Huu Thang, Van Lam, Xuan Tu; Minh Binh, Manh Dung.
4 SLNA players and U19 Vietnam went to Korea to participate in the U19 Suwon JS Cup
As planned, today (April 16), the Vietnam U19 team with 24 players (including 4 SLNA players) will leave for Korea to participate in the 2018 Suwon JS Cup U19 International Football Tournament, taking place from April 18 to 22.
