U23 Vietnam is completely confident if it has to take a penalty shootout against U23 Syria
Under the guidance of Coach Park Hang Seo, U23 Vietnam has a good relationship with penalty shootouts in official tournaments. Therefore, the players are very confident if they have to enter the penalty shootout with U23 Syria in the upcoming match.
Vietnamese football fans certainly cannot forget the image of Van Thanh standing with his arms crossed after successfully taking the final penalty kick in the semi-final match against U23 Qatar earlier this year. That was the shot that brought U23 Vietnam to an unprecedented feat, and also symbolized a generation of young people who are stubborn and brave on the 11m mark.
| Video clip of the penalty shootout between U23 Vietnam and U23 Qatar (4-3). |
Impressive penalty record
The 2018 AFC U23 Championship, especially the knockout stage, was a truly tough test of the endurance of Vietnam U23. Coach Park Hang Seo’s players went through 3 consecutive 120-minute matches, including two penalty shootouts, and won both.
Against U23 Iraq, U23 Vietnam successfully executed all 5 penalty kicks, while the opponent missed the first one. Against U23 Qatar, the situation was a bit more difficult when Quang Hai's first kick was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper, but that was also the time when the young players' mettle was shown.
Tien Dung continued to play the hero with two successful saves, while Van Thanh "closed" the victory with a very cool demeanor.
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| Tien Dung is still a reliable stopper of U23 Vietnam |
Bui Tien Dung's tenacity in penalty shootouts is that he does not rush to dive when the opponent runs up and swings his leg. Only when the ball starts to fly, Tien Dung starts to fly.
With difficult kicks to the two corners, Tien Dung was extremely difficult to block, but he also made the opponent hesitate when deciding to swing his leg. Resan of U23 Iraq became a clown when he kicked straight to the middle, but Tien Dung did not move and caught the ball.
Previously, Yoon Seung-won of U23 Korea also fell into a similar situation when he failed to kick panenka against Tien Dung's alertness. In the summer of 2017, striker Jean-Kevin Augustin of U20 France also tried to kick panenka against Tien Dung, and failed.
Of course, there are also situations where Tien Dung predicts the opponent's shot direction and proactively dives early. The two situations of saving penalty kicks against U23 Qatar in the semi-finals are a proof.
Some adjustments needed
Bui Tien Dung continues to be the number one choice in goal for Vietnam U23 at ASIAD, while the penalty shootout lineup from 7 months ago is still intact. But if it comes to penalties, it is very likely that Mr. Park will make a few changes.
In the quarter-final match of the U23 Asian Cup earlier this year against U23 Iraq, the 5 players that coach Park Hang-seo trusted with the responsibility of taking the penalty kicks were Van Thanh, Quang Hai, Xuan Truong, Duc Chinh and central defender Bui Tien Dung. All 5 players successfully executed the penalty kicks, but the last kick by captain Tien Dung caused the most "heart attack" when the U23 Iraq goalkeeper thought he had blocked it, but the ball still flew into the net.
In the semi-final match with U23 Qatar, Mr. Park immediately changed his mind by letting Phan Van Duc take the penalty shootout instead of Bui Tien Dung, and the player from Nghe An did not disappoint that trust.
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| U23 Vietnam is completely confident if it has to take a penalty shootout against U23 Syria |
At this Asiad, Luong Xuan Truong is not in good form and mentality, so perhaps, Mr. Park Hang Seo will not use him if he has to take a penalty shootout. Cong Phuong, who missed 2 penalties against U23 Pakistan, is almost certain not to take the shot, although people have seen him practicing penalty shootouts in the past few days.
However, Mr. Park has two very good options for penalty kicks: two veterans Van Quyet and Anh Duc. Both are very experienced and are penalty kick specialists at Hanoi and Binh Duong clubs.
7 months ago, U23 Vietnam could not beat U23 Syria after 90 minutes, and the possibility of that happening again cannot be ruled out. But if they have to face each other on penalties again, surely Park Hang Seo and his team have nothing to fear.
Did you know?
Just like in other tournaments, from the knockout round of the 2018 ASIAD men's football, if the two teams cannot be equal in 90 minutes of official play, extra time and penalty shootouts will be used to determine which team will advance. But at this ASIAD, if the Bronze Medal match ends in a draw after 90 minutes, the two teams will go straight to penalty shootouts instead of extra time.
