Vietnam U19 wins the opening match of the Southeast Asian U19 tournament

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team defeated Timor Leste 2-0 at the Southeast Asian Under-19 Football Championship.

Vietnam U19 had a smooth start at the Southeast Asian U19 tournament. Photo: Trung Kinh

Facing a weaker opponent, coach Hoang Anh Tuan's team had no difficulty dominating the game and dominating the ball possession time. However, the attacks of U19 Vietnam were not sharp enough to penetrate the crowded defense of U19 Timor Leste.

It was only thanks to the opponent goalkeeper's mistake in the 27th minute that U19 Vietnam was able to open the scoring. After a cross from the left wing, goalkeeper Fagio Pereira hesitated to rush out to block the ball, allowing Lam Thuan to easily finish into an empty net.

U19 Vietnam still has many things to improve after the opening match. Photo: Trung Kinh

Lam Thuan was the standout player in this match. In the 38th minute, the midfielder from PVF training center escaped down the right wing and crossed the ball across the opponent's goal. Thanh Hau rushed in a bit late, allowing the opponent's defender to clear the ball. In the beginning of the second half, this player, surrounded by three opponent's defenders, was still able to unleash a shot that went close to the edge of the net.

With what Lam Thuan showed, coach Hoang Anh Tuan had reason to regret not being able to use this player until the end of the match. The midfielder from PVF training center and goalkeeper Fagio Pereira both had to leave the field after a strong collision in the 64th minute.

Throughout the second half, U19 Vietnam completely controlled the game, the ball almost only rolled on the U19 Timor Leste field. However, due to a lack of precision in finishing, it was not until the 89th minute that they were able to increase the gap. Tien Linh's shot was very light and not dangerous, but the Timor Leste goalkeeper still let the ball go into the net.

U19 Timor Leste also had some regrets because if they had been luckier, they would have equalized 1-1 in the 59th minute and the match could have turned in a different direction. Rufino Gama's powerful free kick defeated goalkeeper Thanh Tuan but the ball hit the crossbar.

After the match with U19 Timor Leste, U19 Vietnam will meet U19 Malaysia (August 27), U19 Singapore (August 29) and U19 Myanmar (August 31). Coach Hoang Anh Tuan said the team's goal is to reach the final.

In the U19 Southeast Asian playground, Vietnam was crowned champion in 2007 and won the runner-up position three times in 2011, 2013 and 2014.

In the past two seasons, the U19 Vietnam team was built with the core of members of the HAGL Arsenal JMG Academy such as Cong Phuong, Tuan Anh, Xuan Truong... This year, the team was formed with members from many different training centers. PVF Center contributed the most with eight players, followed by Viettel and Binh Duong Training Centers with four players each. To prepare for the AFF U19 Championship held in Laos, coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team had a month of training together.

According to VNE/Bongdaplus