U23 Vietnam - U23 Malaysia: Entering the tiger's den

Because the group stage is a long match, facing strong and weak opponents and there are opportunities for all calculations. The semi-final is a knockout, a direct elimination, so all teams must use more than 100% of their strength to achieve the best result, in 90 minutes, for example, as U23 Malaysia coach Maloney said. If it is more difficult, then after 120 minutes, try to win? And when it comes to a penalty shootout, everything depends on luck?

With U23 Vietnam, there is no need to be nervous, to say that they are not afraid of anyone in the semi-finals or will strive to end the match early. Just know that, to win against U23 Malaysia with a completely different face in the group stage, U23 Vietnam will also have to show a new face after what they have shown.

U23 Malaysia.

First of all, in terms of the lineup, the defense can rest assured with Van Toan in goal, but the player who will pair with Thanh Binh-Viet Anh will be Tuan Tai, Tien Long or Quang Nho, which is probably being "decided" by Mr. Park Hang-seo soon. It is predicted that it will be Tuan Tai, who played in the starting match against U23 Indonesia and performed well. The starting wings will be Van Xuan-Van Do, the only question is who will play on the left and who will play on the right to best utilize what they have?

U23 Vietnam.

Next to Hoang Duc-Hung Dung, perhaps Hoang Anh is still there with abundant physical strength, moving up and down rhythmically to both block and counterattack in time. Cong Den and Trong Long can enter the field from the second half to take advantage of this midfielder's versatility in organizing counterattacks. On the attack line, Van Tung or Manh Dung can pair up with senior Tien Linh in this important match. Depending on the time, Thanh Minh can also be put on the field after what he did in the final match of the group stage.

Unlike the group stage, at least U23 Vietnam should not and cannot let the situation of attacking a lot, rushing and still being deadlocked in the first half like just now. The opponent is strong, has many calculations, the deadlocked situation if prolonged will cause psychological disadvantages, the ability to execute tactics of each position as well as the whole team, causing everything to gradually go out of control.

Moreover, from this match onwards, the long-time relaxed defense will always be on high alert, small mistakes can become mistakes, leading to "punctures" in the defense and it is extremely difficult to fix and redo. The two wings moving up to join the attack is also where the opponent can easily detect and find ways to block and counterattack. This is a familiar tactic of U23 Vietnam for a long time, but through what has been seen, it is not really reassuring when there are rarely good passes, high-damage crosses from these two high positions.

Meanwhile, attacking in the middle has not been the strength of U23 Vietnam for a long time, although the trio Hoang Duc-Tien Linh-Hung Dung coordinated and scored a beautiful goal in the opening match against U23 Indonesia. And if they do not take advantage of set pieces, the story of stalemate and fatigue can continue when the opponent is also not an easy opponent, having reached the semi-finals of the tournament.

Experts predict that U23 Malaysia will use the majority in the midfield to suffocate and block all plans of the home team, from there launch passes and exchanges from the middle to find a way to the U23 Vietnam goal. Malaysian football is very good at attacking the flanks, but this time they did not use it and is the semi-final match the time for them to show their cards?

There will be things that are "old books rehashed" like in the group stage, whether they want to or not, both teams continue to operate when their full strength is only that and only that? The one who wins, the one who wins in the end, is the one who knows how to launch new moves, new attacks that make the opponent unable to react? The "wizard" Park Hang-seo has long been the one who deserves that praise when he knows how to turn the situation of the match in his favor, knows how to read and know how to make the seemingly impossible come true, even though the opponent is equally talented? In this "going into the tiger's den" trip, will Mr. Park Hang-seo and his team know how to set traps, capture the opponent quickly, discreetly, not giving the opponent even a small chance to struggle and escape?