U23 Vietnam suffered a miserable loss, Coach Miura's seat is shaky

Coach Miura and his team could not have a farewell victory when defensive mistakes caused the team to lose 2-3 to U23 UAE. Coach Miura's future became more uncertain than ever.

The U23 Vietnam players are very close to their first victory in this year's tournament. Photo: Duc Dong.

U23 Vietnam ended the Asian finals with their third loss, but this was the most impressive performance of the red shirt players since the beginning of the tournament.

Cong Phuong opened the scoring in the 24th minute before U23 UAE equalized thanks to Hoang Lam's own header in the second half. Tuan Anh's solo performance and tricky finish once again put U23 Vietnam ahead.

While the fans were thinking about the first victory, the mistakes of the defense continued to haunt U23 Vietnam. Goalkeeper Van Tien pushed up too high, allowing Al Akrabi to chip the ball to equalize the score at 2-2. The turning point of the match happened just three minutes later when Xuan Truong was given a direct red card by the referee for using his hand to play the ball and awarded U23 UAE a penalty. Al Hashmi easily sealed the 3-2 victory for the West Asian team.

By the end of the match, U23 Vietnam was down to eight players. Center back Nam Anh received a second yellow card and had to leave the field, while Cong Phuong was injured and could not continue playing.

By defeating U23 Vietnam, U23 UAE secured the right to continue as group leader. In the same match, U23 Jordan drew 0-0 with U23 Australia and secured the second ticket.

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In the final match in Qatar, Coach Miura made a series of changes to the starting lineup. The Japanese coach gave the opportunity to the HAGL quartet of Dong Trieu, Xuan Truong, Tuan Anh and Cong Phuong to play together. Besides, there were two other names from HAGL who played from the start: goalkeeper Van Tien and winger Van Thanh.

The appearance of this quartet helped U23 Vietnam significantly improve their ability to hold the ball and control the tempo. The midfield of the red team dominated U23 UAE and pressured the opponent with long-range shots at the beginning of the match. Dong Trieu even had the opportunity to double the score in the first half if his volley from the edge of the 16m50 box had been more dangerous.

Tuan Anh left the biggest mark in the middle of the field with his ability to control the rhythm and accurate passes to the two wings. This is the second weapon in the 4-4-2 formation that U23 Vietnam uses. The two wingers can quickly escape to the 16m50 box and put pressure on the opponent's defense. Besides his tactical vision, Tuan Anh also left his mark with a beautiful solo goal right before the 16m50 box.

Tuan Anh scored a beautiful goal in front of a group of opposing players. Photo: Duc Dong.

Compared to U23 Jordan and U23 Australia, U23 UAE does not have a sharp attack and a cohesive style of play. The white team played deadlocked in the first half even when they had to push forward to find the equalizer. However, U23 UAE had moments to finish the match. They were helped by Hoang Lam's incredible own goal header, or the situation where Al Akrabi took advantage of goalkeeper Van Tien's sudden advance.

The referee was also a controversial topic when he gave Xuan Truong a red card when the player blocked the ball with his hand close to his chest. This was a rather heavy-handed situation when he sent off the U23 Vietnam midfielder and at the same time awarded a penalty to U23 UAE. In a game with a shortage of players, U23 Vietnam's attacks mainly relied on Cong Phuong's breakthrough ability, which was not enough to change the situation.

U23 Vietnam finished the Asian Finals campaign at the bottom of the table. This will be a factor that makes the future of Coach Miura more uncertain. The Japanese coach only has a contract until April 30 and there is no information from VFF about extending it.

Coach Miura's future is a big question mark. Photo: Duc Dong.

Starting lineup

U23 Vietnam: Van Tien, Dong Trieu, Nam Anh, Hoang Lam, Manh Hung, Van Thanh, Xuan Truong, Tuan Anh, Duc Huy, Cong Phuong, Tuan Tai.

Goals: Cong Phuong (penalty 24'), Tuan Anh (68')

U23 UAE: Alfalahi, Ambar, Barman, Ali, Al Hasmi, Alakberi, Rashid, Sultan, Rashid, Musabbeh, Alalawi.

Goals: Hoang Lam (own goal 64'), Al Akrabi (74'), Al Hashmi (78').

According to VNE