U20 Vietnam - U20 Indonesia: Decisive battle for the top spot

Careful preparation process

Nearly 9 months ago, after the AFF Cup 2020 ended with the Vietnamese team unable to defend the title, the need to find young players to renew the team became urgent, instead of just relying on a generation of talented players like Quang Hai, Cong Phuong, Hung Dung, Hoang Duc...

And after the impressive performance of the U23 Vietnam players under the leadership of coach Oh Gong Kyun in Uzbekistan in June, the young players of Vietnamese football have another tournament, the U20 Asian finals taking place at the end of this year, also in Uzbekistan. However, to enter this tournament, coach Dinh The Nam and his team must first pass the qualifying round, in a group with the participation of 3 other teams: Indonesia, Hong Kong and Timo Leste.

To prepare for the 2023 AFC U20 Cup qualifiers, the Vietnam U20 team, mainly composed of players who competed in the 2022 Thanh Nien Newspaper International U19 Tournament, under the guidance of coach Dinh The Nam, actively practiced and competed in the Southeast Asian International U19 Tournament held in early August. With 3 wins and 1 draw, coach Dinh The Nam's students won the championship.

Recently, the U20 Vietnam team also had a training trip and friendly matches in Japan, with quality "blue troops" U20 Japan, U18 Cerezo Osaka and Osaka Sangyo University. Although they lost all 3 matches, the U20 Vietnam players have accumulated many useful lessons through matches with opponents of higher level.

U20 Vietnam is having impressive performances. Photo: VFF

After finishing their training trip in Japan, the U20 Vietnam team had two friendly matches against U20 Palestine. Against an opponent with superior physique and physical strength, after being held to a draw in the first leg, U20 Vietnam won convincingly with a score of 2-0 in the second leg. Through the friendly matches, Coach Dinh The Nam's students showed positive progress in terms of expertise, courage, and competitive mentality.

In preparation for the U20 Asian Qualifiers, Coach Dinh The Nam has called up more than 40 players, from which the best faces have been selected. Among the 25 current players, in addition to the individuals who have made their mark in the past, the Vietnam U20 Team has been supplemented with 10 players currently playing for First Division and V.League teams: Bui Vi Hao (Binh Duong), Nguyen Hieu Minh, Tran Ngoc Son, Nguyen Hai Nam, Nguyen Xuan Bac, Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Nguyen Duc Phu, Le Quang Hien (Pho Hien Club), Ho Van Cuong and Dinh Xuan Tien (SLNA).

The new faces are all highly appreciated for their expertise, familiar with coach Dinh The Nam's tactical philosophy as well as having competed with him in domestic and international tournaments.

Waiting for the duel

In the first two matches of the U20 Asian Qualifiers, the Vietnamese players only had to face opponents that were considered to be much weaker and won with a big score. In the opening match, the team defeated the U20 Hong Kong (China) players with a score of 5-1. In the second match, the students of coach Dinh The Nam also easily crushed Timo Leste with a score of 4-0.

U20 Vietnam has a great chance to win a ticket to the U20 Asia final round. Photo: VFF

If they want to be sure of advancing, coach Dinh The Nam and his team need to win first place in Group F, which means they will have to overcome a rather difficult "obstacle" - the host Indonesia - in the final match today (September 18).

Currently, U20 Indonesia after 2 matches has the same 6 points and the same 9-1 difference as U20 Vietnam. According to the competition format, if the two teams draw in the last match and have the same score, the top position in the group will be determined by a penalty shootout.

This match is not expected to be easy for U20 Vietnam, because U20 Indonesia has home field advantage, along with the support of tens of thousands of fans and talented players under the leadership of coach Sin Tae Yong. At the 2022 Southeast Asian U19 tournament not long ago, coach Dinh The Nam's team encountered many difficulties in the match against the team from the archipelago and only luck helped the U20 Vietnam team not concede a goal.

In this tournament, U19 Indonesia also won 11 points like Thailand and Vietnam, but due to inferior sub-index, the home team could not get the ticket to continue. That defeat is the motivation for U20 Indonesia to yearn for "revenge" against U20 Vietnam in the rematch of the U20 Asian Cup qualifiers this time.

Facing an opponent Indonesia who is highly rated for physical strength, the U20 Vietnam team needs to play more calmly, avoiding rushing into a race of strength and fierce disputes beyond the necessary level. In addition, coach Dinh The Nam and the team's coaching staff need to have tactical calculations, choose the right time to apply pressure to help the young players ensure the physical foundation to compete well for 90 minutes.