U22 Vietnam regrettably draws with U22 Korea in the opening match of the CFA Team China 2025 tournament

On the afternoon of March 20, the Vietnam U22 team had its opening match against the South Korean U22 team at the U22 CFA Team China 2025 international friendly tournament held in Jiangsu, China.

In this match, coach Dinh Hong Vinh used a trio of strikers in the starting lineup, notably the appearance of overseas Vietnamese striker Le Viktor, along with Thanh Nhan and Quoc Viet. The midfield of U22 Vietnam was assigned to captain Van Truong, Xuan Bac and Phi Hoang, while goalkeeper Cao Van Binh guarded the goal with the support of the defenders including Le Van Ha, Hieu Minh, Nhat Minh and Hong Phuc.

With the advantage of physique, physical strength and good technique, the Korean U22 players quickly took the lead in the first 20 minutes of the match. Under great pressure from the opponent, the Vietnamese U22 players played resiliently and took advantage of several dangerous counter-attack opportunities.

In the 21st minute, Thanh Nhan had a beautiful long-range shot, forcing the U22 Korean goalkeeper to push the ball away. Quoc Viet quickly swooped in to cushion the ball into the net, but the goal was not recognized by the referee. In the 25th minute, Thanh Nhan continued to have another dangerous long-range shot, but U22 Korean goalkeeper Lim Junsub still made an excellent save.

U22 Vietnam gradually regained control of the game, organizing sharp counterattacks towards the opponent's goal. However, the first half ended without any goals being scored.

Entering the second half, at minute 52, from a well-coordinated counter-attack, Thanh Nhan scored a tricky shot within 16m50, opening the score 1-0 for U22 Vietnam. This was a worthy reward for the tireless efforts of the players in red.

In the following minutes, U22 Vietnam continued to maintain a disciplined and solid playing style. In the 75th minute, coach Dinh Hong Vinh made a personnel change by sending Quang Vinh and Van Cuong onto the field to replace Xuan Bac and Van Ha to ensure the team's physical strength.

However, unfortunately, U22 Vietnam could not maintain the score until the end of the match. In the 90+1 minute, U22 Korea took advantage of a set piece situation to score an equalizer 1-1. This was also the final result of the match.

Sharing after the match, coach Dinh Hong Vinh said: "Today's match is an important test for U22 Vietnam. We had the opportunity to compete with strong opponents, thereby learning many valuable lessons. The players showed good fighting spirit, followed the set tactics, but there are still points that need to be improved to reach long-term goals."

He also emphasized that the whole team needs to improve their ability to control the tempo of the match as well as handle situations in important minutes.

After the draw against U22 Korea, U22 Vietnam will face U22 Uzbekistan on March 23. Commenting on the upcoming match, coach Dinh Hong Vinh said:

"Uzbekistan is a team with good physique, fitness and a very disciplined playing style. We will focus on recovering our physical strength, adjusting our tactics appropriately and preparing the players mentally. This will be a difficult match, but it is also an opportunity for U22 Vietnam to assert themselves and test new tactical options."./.