U22 Vietnam vs U22 Korea: Big test at Panda Cup

At 2:30 p.m. on November 18 (Vietnam time), U22 Vietnam will face U22 Korea in the final round of the 2025 Panda Cup in China. After a narrow 0-1 loss to U22 Uzbekistan, coach Dinh Hong Vinh and his team will enter a big test with the main goal of gaining experience and preparing for the 33rd SEA Games. On the other hand, U22 Korea just lost 0-2 to U22 China and need a victory to assert their class.

Match information

Style and context

U22 Vietnam showed many positive points despite losing 0-1 to U22 Uzbekistan: a tighter defense, better competitiveness and maintaining intensity in the contests. The core goal of the team is to perfect the structure of the game and gain experience against strong opponents, laying the foundation for the 33rd SEA Games.

South Korea U22, a young football powerhouse in Asia, suffered a shock 0-2 defeat against China U22. This result put them in a must-win situation to prove the quality of their personnel and their ability to react after defeat.

Notably, 8 months ago, also at a friendly tournament in China, U22 Vietnam held U22 Korea to a 1-1 draw. That fact shows that the Southeast Asian representative is capable of causing trouble if they maintain tactical discipline.

Tactics and Hotspots

Facing an opponent with comprehensive technique and physical strength, U22 Vietnam is likely to prioritize a tight defense, waiting for the moment of transition. The focus is on quickly recovering the ball in midfield, deploying speedy counter-attacks with direct passes to the front line.

U22 Korea is expected to control the ball, attack from the back line with small and medium combinations, open up space on both sides before launching a variety of finishing options.

• Central area:The duel and covering the space is key. The role of Van Truong and Quoc Cuong in the dispute, recovery and quick passing will determine the quality of the counter-attack.
• Border corridor:U22 Korea tends to push up the tempo on the wings to cross or stretch the defense. U22 Vietnam needs to lock down the corridor and be ready to counterattack from the flank.
• Individual match:The U22 Vietnam defense faced striker Lee Geon Hee. Defeating his penetration and off-the-ball movement was the key to keeping the goal.

Notable players

• U22 Vietnam:Dinh Bac has the ability to accelerate and finish; Van Truong plays the role of playmaker and coordinator in the midfield. The understanding between these two names is the source of important opportunities.
• U22 Korea:Lee Geon Hee and Kim Yong Hak can create breakthroughs thanks to individual technique and positioning.

Personnel and expected lineup

U22 Vietnam

Trung Kien; Nhat Minh, Hieu Minh, Ly Duc, Phi Hoang; Van Truong, Quoc Cuong, Minh Phuc; Viktor Le; Dinh Bac; Van Thuan (striker).

U22 Korea

Moon Hyun Ho; Kang Min Jun, Jeong Jae Sang, Jung Seung Bae, Park Jun Seo; Park Hyun Bin; Kim Dong Jin, Kim Yong Hak, Lee Geon Hee, Jang Seok Hwan; Shin Min Ha.

The two teams have no significant injury or card information according to sources, creating conditions for both coaches to use their strongest players and continue to experiment with tactics.

Confrontation and notable facts

• There are not many recent head-to-head statistics between the two U22 teams.
• U22 Vietnam held U22 Korea to a 1-1 draw in a friendly tournament in China 8 months ago.

Comments

U22 Korea is considered to be superior in terms of physical strength, speed and ability to control the tempo. However, U22 Vietnam has the chance to create a surprise if it maintains defensive discipline, recovers the ball effectively in midfield and makes good use of transitions, especially through the connection between Van Truong and Dinh Bac.

Score prediction: U22 Vietnam 1-2 U22 Korea.