U23 Vietnam in 'easy' group at U23 Asia finals
Vietnam U23 is preparing to enter the 2024 AFC U23 Championship finals, where Hoang Anh Tuan and his team are expected to pass the group stage.
The draw for the 2024 AFC U23 Championship has placed Vietnam in Group D with Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Malaysia. The tournament format stipulates that the top two teams in the group will advance to the quarter-finals.
Passing the group stage is the top goal of U23 Vietnam under the leadership of new coach Hoang Anh Tuan. Coach Troussier's somewhat abrupt departure from U23 Vietnam has left us with no good preparation for the tournament. However, with the names in the same group, U23 Vietnam promises to still be able to pass the group stage.
Group D is not a very tough group. Ignoring the "big guy" Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Malaysia are both opponents that are not too difficult for U23 Vietnam. U23 Malaysia only reached the final round of the U23 Asia with the 4th position in the ranking of the best second-placed teams after the qualifying round.
This means that U23 Malaysia is the last passenger to board the ship to Qatar to participate in the U23 Asian finals. Compared to the current SEA Games champions Indonesia or China, Malaysia is the easiest name that U23 Vietnam can think of in the 4th seed group.
Being placed in group 3, the draw of luck also helped U23 Vietnam avoid the annoying "neighbors" Thailand and UAE. Kuwait is the team at the bottom of this seed group and only qualified as the second team in the group. They are also identified as a direct competitor for the second place in the group with U23 Vietnam in the final round of the U23 Asia.
The second advantage for Hoang Anh Tuan and his team is the force factor. Unlike the qualifying round in September in Phu Tho, the current U23 Vietnam force has accumulated a significant amount of experience. Most of the main squad is playing in the V-League, many names have been called up to the National Team, even Phan Tuan Tai and Nguyen Thai Son are playing in the matches of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Obviously, U23 Vietnam will have enough confidence to aim for the goal of passing the group stage, thereby continuing to dream of memorable milestones at Asia's top tournament for the U23 age group.
