U21 Song Lam Nghe An meets U21 Dak Lak: Win to avoid strong opponents
(Baonghean.vn) - The 4-0 victory over U21 Long An has opened up a great opportunity for the young team from Nghe An to enter the quarterfinals. However, coach Pham Bui Minh and his team still need to win in the final match to ensure this ticket and avoid strong opponents in the next round.
After the unexpected defeat againstU21 Kon Tum, U21 Song Lam Nghe An played with great determination in the second match. And the result was that coach Pham Bui Minh's students had a resounding 4-0 victory over U21 Long An to rise to 2nd place on the rankings.
However, with U21 Kon Tum winning 1-0 against U21 Dak Lak, the top spot in Group C will likely belong to coach Chu Ngoc Canh's team. Therefore, the practical goal of U21 Song Lam Nghe An at this time is to win the final match to get the 2nd place in Group C. This position will help the Nghe team avoid the top teams in Group A and Group B in the quarter-finals (possibly U21 PVF-CAND or U21 Hanoi).

This is completely within the ability of coach Pham Bui Minh's students, when the Nghe An team is in high spirits after the recent 4-0 victory. Surely in the upcoming match, the playing style of U21 Song Lam Nghe An will become more fluid and cohesive.
In defense, there are still familiar names such as goalkeeper Nguyen Van Viet, defender Vo Tien Thang, Nguyen Mai Hoang, Bui Thanh Duc... These are the players who played well in the last two matches of the Nghe An team. If there is a change, it will be the presence from the beginning of U23 Vietnam player Ho Van Cuong. In the last match, this young defender born in 2003 had nearly 30 minutes of excellent performance on the right wing. And it was Ho Van Cuong who sealed the 4-0 victory for U21 Song Lam Nghe An.
The midfield will be the place with the most changes, because this is the line where the Nghe An team has a lot of talent. It is very likely that Le Dinh Long Vu, Truong Van Tuyen or Nguyen Trong Son will be on the field from the beginning. These changes will help the pillars have time to rest, and help the coaching staff find new personnel options. Especially when the competition density at the 2023 National U21 tournament is quite dense.
The most worrying point ofU21 Song Lam Nghe Anis the injury of the main striker Phan Xuan Dai. Although he has not scored a goal in this year's tournament, the striker wearing the number 9 shirt has contributed a lot to the playing style of the Nghe An team. However, the duo Le Khanh Toan and Phan Duy Hao will be ready to replace Phan Xuan Dai. In the recent match against U21 Long An, this duo both scored goals to contribute to the 4-0 victory. Hopefully, against the team considered the weakest in the group, the strikers of U21 Song Lam Nghe An will continue to score to bring victory to the home team.

On the away team side, after two consecutive losses, the chance of U21 Dak Lak reaching the quarter-finals is more fragile than ever. Coach Tran Phi Ai's team must win against the home team and at the same time wait for favorable results in the remaining matches to be able to reach the quarter-finals.
However, winning against U21 Song Lam Nghe An is probably an impossible task for U21 Dak Lak. Because, in the last two matches, coach Tran Phi Ai's students showed a weak side in both defense and attack. However, getting into theNational U21 Finals 2023is also a success of U21 Dak Lak. Therefore, they will compete with a comfortable mentality to be ready to cause difficulties for the home team.

With home advantage and being rated higher than the opponent, U21 Song Lam Nghe An will certainly be determined to have a victory to put their name in the quarter-finals. Hopefully, the young team from Nghe An will have a successful match in terms of both score and personnel to be ready for the next difficult challenges.
The match between U21 Song Lam Nghe An and U21 Dak Lak will take place at 5:00 p.m. on September 23, 2023 at Vinh Stadium.