U23 Vietnam lost the first match under coach Troussier

U23 Vietnam has collapsed since the moment they lost a player. Photo: VFF

Participate in the 2023 Doha Cup Friendly Tournament,U23 Vietnamwill have to face a very strong team in Asia - U23 Iraq. This is also the first international match of coach Troussier in his position as head coach of the U23 Vietnam team.

With the meaning of just a friendly match, the result of this match between U23 Vietnam and U23 Iraq is not too important to the French strategist. The main purpose of Mr. Troussier is to test the ability and bravery of each player. Besides, after a training process lasting more than 1 month, it helps him re-evaluate the playing style of the U23 Vietnam team, aiming for the 32nd SEA Games.

U23 Vietnam is at a slight disadvantage when it has to play at a very late time (2:45 Vietnam time). However, before the tournament, Mr. Troussier had his players get used to a similar time frame, so the Vietnamese players probably won't be too surprised by this time frame.

Being rated higher, it was not surprising that U23 Iraq completely dominated the game as soon as the opening whistle was blown. To limit the opponent's strength, U23 Vietnam's lines were forced to retreat deep into their home field to defend.

However, under the terrible pressure of the team from West Asia, the defense of U23 Vietnam had to make a mistake. The situation happened in the 23rd minute, Tuan Tai had a careless cross for the U23 Iraq player to steal the ball. In order to avoid Van Chuan's goal from falling into a dangerous situation, Vu Tien Long fouled Nihad Mohammed Owaid right in front of the 16m50 area. The Qatari referee immediately showed a red card to the Hanoi FC midfielder.

Although U23 Vietnam played with great effort, due to playing with one less player, they let the opponent open the score in the first half's injury time. Luong Duy Cuong fouled Hussein Abdullah Lawend in the penalty area, causing the home team to receive a penalty. At the penalty spot, Ali Basem Almosawe did not give Quan Van Chuan a chance to save the goal.

U23 Iraq played with overwhelming force against U23 Vietnam. Photo: VFF

Entering the second half, U23 Iraq continued to dominate the game and created many dangerous opportunities. In the 60th minute, U23 Vietnam's defense did not play very well when Duy Cuong, Van Do and Xuan Thinh did not cover each other, creating conditions for Ahmed Hasan Aldeeshawee to score past Quan Van Chuan.

In the final minutes of the match, U23 Vietnam also conceded a third goal. Not only that, in the final seconds of the match, Vo Hoang Minh Khoa received a second yellow card and was sent off.

With this defeat, coach Troussier will still have a lot to do with U23 Vietnam and hopes that Sao Vang players will be more mature after matches like this. Anyway, the important destination of U23 Vietnam to aim for is SEA Games 32, U23 Asia 2024 and Asiad 19. So, fans should not be too disappointed with the unimpressive debut of the French strategist./.