U19 Vietnam 1-1 U19 China: Head held high leaving the tournament
The young Vietnamese players played better than their opponents, leading for most of the match but eventually left the tournament with a point.
Without psychological pressure or concern about results, U19 Vietnam returned to their true selves in the match against U19 China. Against an opponent that beat Japan and drew with Korea, coach Guillaume Graechen's team completely dominated the field.
Hoang Thanh Tung put U19 Vietnam ahead early on after a brave run and then defeated the opposing goalkeeper. The defensive lapses, especially on the left wing, prevented the red-shirted players from enjoying the full joy of their farewell. In the 87th minute, player wearing the number 11 jersey, Tang Shi, scored the goal to seal the draw.
With this result, U19 China got 5 points after three matches, ranked second in Group C and entered the quarter-finals. U19 Japan defeated U19 Korea 2-1 in the same match, ranked first in the group, and won a ticket to the next round. U19 Vietnam was eliminated right from the second match, leaving the tournament with their heads held high after what they had done against U19 China.
Video clip of the match:
U19 Vietnam showed two completely different faces, corresponding to each half of the match. In the first 45 minutes, the red-shirted players attacked, controlling the game with a technical passing style. Many dangerous situations were created, and then the opening goal came in the 20th minute as a matter of course.
Van Long exchanged passes with Van Toan in the middle of the field and then passed the ball to the right for Thanh Tung to escape. The midfielder wearing the number 18 shirt controlled the ball for a moment and then finished at a narrow angle, defeating the U19 China goalkeeper.
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| Thanh Tung scored the opening goal of the match. |
The understanding in the opening goal represented the style of play of the young Vietnamese players in the first half. We coordinated well, the individuals handled the ball skillfully, especially Xuan Truong and Cong Phuong. The midfielder wearing the number 6 shirt often had long passes over the line or opened the wing intelligently. Cong Phuong actively dropped back, creating space for the two wingers to advance.
If the strikers had known how to seize the opportunity, the score would have been 2-0 for Vietnam right from the first half. Like the situation in the 29th minute when Van Toan's shot hit the post at a narrow angle.
In contrast to the previous minutes, the second half of U19 Vietnam showed a different face. The players proactively gave control to U19 China, accepting counter-attacks. From here, the opposing team continuously created pressure on the Vietnamese defense, which was not highly rated.
From only having two dangerous chances in the first half, U19 China increased the number of shots three times in the second half. The white-shirted defense played with concentration, especially goalkeeper Minh Long, but the anxiety and heart-stopping moments gradually increased over time. After hanging the ball to head, U19 China used long-range shots, dribbling... Opportunities just kept passing by.
U19 Vietnam had a very sharp counter-attack in the 85th minute, seemingly scoring the decisive goal of the match. Xuan Truong passed the ball intelligently to Cong Phuong who was alone in front of the Chinese goal. The captain of U19 Vietnam played a perfect game, passing the ball inside to Tuan Tai but was blocked by the white-shirted defender.
Immediately after this miss, U19 Vietnam conceded a goal. In the 87th minute, from a combination in front of the penalty area, the ball was passed to Tang Shi on the right wing and he comfortably finished, scoring the equalizer 1-1.
Line-up
U19 Vietnam:Minh Long, Van Son, Xuan Hung, Tien Dung, Hong Duy, Thanh Tung, Xuan Truong, Tuan Anh, Van Long, Cong Phuong, Van Toan.
China U19: Zhou Yuchen, Liu Junshuai, Gao Zhunyi, Wei Shihao, Cheng Jin, Zhang Xiuwwei, Wei Jingzong, Gui Hong, Xiang Hantian, Chen Zhechao, Chen Zepeng.
According to VnExpress.net
