U23 Vietnam overcomes 'reverse pressure' to move on

Because in the history of confrontation between the two teams,U23 Vietnamare holding the advantage with 3 wins. The most recent encounter was a friendly match in preparation for the 29th SEA Games, where U23 Vietnam won a resounding 3-0 victory. Fans must remember that in the 22nd SEA Games in 2003, the first time they met at home, U23 Vietnam won 4-3 with goals from Quoc Vuong, Van Quyen and a double from Thanh Binh. Two years later, in 2005, the two teams met again in the semi-finals of the 23rd SEA Games and U23 Vietnam continued to win 2-1 with goals from Van Quyen and Cong Vinh.

Since taking charge of the Vietnam national team, Mr. Park Hang-seo has faced the Malaysian team 6 times in the AFF Cup 2018, the second qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Asia and the AFF Cup 2021 with the results of 5 wins, 1 draw (2-2 in the first leg of the 2018 AFF Cup final). However, it is worth noting that at the U23 or Olympic level, Mr. Park Hang-seo has never faced his Malaysian colleagues and the semi-final match on the evening of May 19 will be the first time the two teams have met.

Coach Park requires U23 Vietnam's playing style to be stable. Photo: Hai Hoang

The history of confrontation is a story of the past, mentioned for reference. If the team has a "tradition" of overcoming the opponent and continues to win, it will write a new beautiful page. On the contrary, if they do not play well and are surpassed by the opponent, the more they look at the history of confrontation, the more the sadness of defeat will be... rubbed salt in the wound. That is of course not what Mr. Park Hang-seo, the U23 Vietnam players and many fans near and far want.

To continue writing new pages and new achievements, Coach Park Hang-seo and his team have no other choice but to "know the enemy and know ourselves". Knowing the enemy here means studying and understanding the opponent, especially through the last 4 group matches. That was the match where U23 Malaysia unexpectedly defeated U23 Thailand with a score of 2-1. It is not easy to overcome the Thais in a tournament, but whether overcoming them in a match is a terrible thing or not is something that needs to be carefully considered. In the opening match of Group B, U23 Thailand took the lead but then in a counter-attack situation, the Thai defender committed a foul and received a red card and gradually lost the game to the Malaysians. Despite playing with more players, U23 Malaysia had to wait until the last minute of extra time to defeat U23 Thailand, creating the first earthquake in this group.

The surprise victory of U23 Malaysia over U23 Thailand was the best opportunity for them to continue playing well, winning the top spot in Group B, and entering the semi-finals only having to face the second team in Group A according to the tournament rules. But despite their wishes, this team could not do it when they were held to a draw by weaker opponents in the last two matches, giving the Thais the chance to regain the top spot. This is what Mr. Park Hang-seo must grasp, must affirm, is U23 Malaysia's current strength only that much or are they still hiding their cards, only playing enough to enter the semi-finals, that there are cards up their sleeves that have not been played before the semi-finals?

Coach Park Hang-seo lets U23 Vietnam practice behind closed doors, avoiding any prying eyes. Photo: VFF

We cannot look at the head coach's exaggerated statements before the semi-finals or the media's speculation about how to say that if we want to win in the end, we absolutely must not be afraid of any opponent, we must not choose an opponent in the semi-finals or that when we reach the semi-finals, we will have a new face, completely different to suddenly defeat the opponent... All possibilities can happen, all proactive options are not redundant when the opponent is strong, going long-term are often those who know how to distribute strength, strategies for each match, each stage and strike appropriately at decisive moments?

Obviously, the picture of the two teams in the semi-finals is something that everyone can clearly see, every line, every block of light and dark through 4 group stage matches. Overall, any team, no matter how strong, when competing with the home team, under great pressure from the audience and many other conditions, will often encounter countless difficulties and easily lose themselves if they cannot overcome all obstacles and disadvantages. On the contrary, if the home team cannot overcome the "reverse pressure" from the enthusiasm and expectations of the audience, becomes impatient and excessive, it will also be at a disadvantage no less than the away team.

The teams that Mr. Park Hang-seo has led for a long time have always been confident, determined, and not afraid of any opponent. For a long time, the Malaysian opponent has not been an opponent that can make Hung Dung and his teammates falter or lose their feet, especially in knockout matches like the upcoming semi-final?