U19 Song Lam Nghe An vs U19 Viettel: A fierce battle between dragons and tigers.

According to assistant coach Le Manh Hung (U19 SLNA), U19 Viettel is a strong contender for the championship this year, possessing a quality squad and a well-structured playing style. Their record of 8 consecutive wins in the qualifying round, which included U19 PVF, U19 Binh Dinh, U19 Dak Lak, and U19 Hai Nam Vinh Phuc, is clear evidence of the strength of coach Nguyen Thanh Hai's team.

Viettel U19 players are winning convincingly at the 2022 National U19 Championship. Photo: Viet Dinh

In the final round, U19 Viettel was once again placed in what was considered a "group of death" (Group A), alongside the host team and defending champions U19 PVF, U19 HAGL, and U19 Long An. Despite this, Coach Nguyen Thanh Hai's players had little difficulty securing all 9 points. Specifically, U19 Viettel defeated U19 HAGL, U19 PVF, and U19 Long An with scores of 1-0, 2-1, and 2-0 respectively.

Viettel U19's opponent in the quarter-finals was Saigon U19, the team that finished third in Group C. And in less than 46 minutes, Viettel U19 finished off their opponent with two goals from Dang Tuan Phong (25th minute) and Doan The Phong (46th minute). It's clear that Viettel U19 is a well-rounded team in both attack and defense. Furthermore, Coach Nguyen Thanh Hai's team had one more day of rest than Song Lam Nghe An U19.

That's not to say that Coach Dinh Van Dung's team is at a disadvantage compared to U19 Viettel. In terms of strength, Dinh Xuan Tien and his teammates are in no way inferior to their younger counterparts on the U19 Viettel side in terms of professional skill and match experience. The presence of Dinh Xuan Tien, Nguyen Van Bach, Ho Van Cuong, and Phan Xuan Dai in the lineup is enough to make any opponent wary.

The joy of the Song Lam Nghe An U19 players after defeating Thanh Hoa U19 in the quarter-finals. Photo by Hai Hoang.

In addition, on the coaching benchU19 Song Lam Nghe AnThis is a very famous trio of coaches at the youth level in Vietnam, including: Head Coach Dinh Van Dung (who previously coached the Vietnam U16 and U20 teams), Assistant Coach Tran Quang Dung, and Goalkeeper Coach Le Manh Hung. The outstanding achievements of the Song Lam Nghe An youth teams in the past all bear the mark of these three coaches.

Let's not forget that to reach the semi-finals, U19 Song Lam Nghe An also had a very proud journey. To date, coach Dinh Van Dung's team has not lost a single match since the start of the 2022 National U19 Championship qualifiers (7 wins and 3 draws), only trailing U19 Viettel's record of 12 consecutive wins (8 in the qualifiers and 12 in the finals).

In short, considering all aspects, U19 Song Lam Nghe An and U19 Viettel are evenly matched opponents. Therefore, it is highly likely that the match between the two teams will have to be decided after a penalty shootout.