U23 Vietnam and the memorable performance of Xuan Tien and Nam Hai

Remember that through 3 matches, these are 2 factors that Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan continuously tested the position and decided to "put in the right place" in the semi-final match of life and death. Nam Hai was on the bench against U23 Laos, entered the field as a central midfielder, started against U23 Philippines as a left-sided center-back and suddenly "rotated" to the most important position of the defense as a center-back in the semi-final match. And in 90 minutes of taking on this new position, the young player who was called up to U23 Vietnam for the first time completed his task excellently, although he still had to learn from his teammates in letting a goal happen at the beginning of the second half in a high ball situation.

Meanwhile, Xuan Tien also entered the field from the beginning of the second half of the match against U23 Laos and really helped U23 Vietnam turn the situation around with his ability to control the rhythm and distribute the cards, including a pass that seemed to be set for Minh Quang (unfortunately, the shot did not hit the target). And what everyone was waiting for came when Xuan Tien broke the offside trap, rushed down to the penalty area to receive the ball, handled it delicately with one touch and gently flicked the outside of his foot to score a goal, leaving the defense and goalkeeper of the opposing team helpless.

Not to mention, later in a typical counter-attack situation, Xuan Tien was the one who "set the table" for Vy Hao to finish neatly, raising the score to 4-1 for U23 Vietnam. In the match against U23 Philippines, Xuan Tien played the full 90 minutes in both the attacking midfielder and organizing midfielder positions. Although he was not outstanding, he and his teammates completed the goal of both securing points to top the table and successfully testing positions for the decisive matches. And in the semi-final match against the tough opponent U23 Malaysia, it was Xuan Tien who shone brightly with a double after assists from Minh Quang and Van Khang.

It couldn’t be better for a player who plays closest to the opponent’s goal, shines most promptly and at the right time, and creates the most peace of mind for his teammates like Xuan Tien. 3 goals after 3 matches of a midfielder is really a surprise for the opponent, but remember Xuan Tien has scored 4 goals for Song Lam Nghe An in the V-League this season, so that result is a step to affirm the talent of a player who has encountered many difficulties in the process of joining the U20 Vietnam team as well as the U23 Vietnam team at the recent SEA Games…

Obviously, with the elements trained in V-League, in the U20 Asia tournament, after the tests in the group stage, Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan put into practice the framework that he was most satisfied with and his students did not disappoint the trust of this talented teacher.

The first half of the semi-final match was a display of fiery attacking tactics by U23 Vietnam with 3 unanswered goals by Xuan Tien and the awaited star Quoc Viet. The second half was a defensive-counterattacking game with 1 goal conceded and 1 goal scored by 2 substitute players, Hong Phuc and Vy Hao, with reasonable personnel adjustments by the coaching staff. A goal conceded due to the lack of communication between the defense is an experience that needs to be quickly learned by the trio Nam Hai-Duy Cuong-Ngoc Thang and the long-range defense. A goal to increase the score at the end of the match is a valuable lesson for the sudden and quick transition and ending from the second line. No one wanted a goal conceded, but clearly, this really "awakened" the defense that had been playing tightly throughout the match of U23 Vietnam, that just a moment of negligence and lack of coordination will immediately have to pay the price.

Before entering the semi-finals, U23 Vietnam had the opportunity to watch U23 Malaysia exert all their strength to defeat U23 Indonesia and similarly, before entering the final, we also had enough time to search and analyze the playbook of the opponent U23 Indonesia when they faced the "paper tiger" U23 Thailand. An interesting confrontation between the two teams that happened in the semi-finals of the 32nd SEA Games now recurs in the final of the 2023 Southeast Asian U23 Championship and certainly the painful lessons from that match of Van Chuan, Duy Cuong, Quoc Viet, Van Khang... are still hot and this is the best opportunity to pay off the debt to the opponent.

The opportunity has come, not having to face the home team with many advantages, so we hope that Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan and his team will know how to grasp it, know how to promote the advantages and bravery they have, to successfully defend the championship they won during the difficult pandemic period not long ago. Nam Hai, Xuan Tien and his teammates should enter the match with the most confidence and comfort because the goal of reaching the final match set from the beginning has been excellently completed and the opponent U23 Indonesia is not a strange, superior opponent, even though they just unexpectedly defeated the top candidate U23 Thailand on their home field./.