Xuan Tien and his teammates overcome Thailand together

Normally, these two opponents are always the “seeds” of each group and are scheduled to meet in the semi-finals or ideally the final of each tournament. In the case of drawing lots and being in the same group, the two teams will be divided into first and second place in the group, then both pass the semi-finals and meet again in the awaited final.

LIVE2022 Southeast Asian U23 ChampionshipCurrently taking place in Cambodia, the teams of Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore are in Group C. Due to a team withdrawing from the tournament due to Covid-19, the 3 group winners and the 1 second-placed team with the best record have entered the semi-finals. Up to this point, U23 Timo Leste has won the top spot in Group A, putting U23 host Cambodia in a precarious position as they have to wait for the results of Group C, which is the group of Vietnam and Thailand, and only when Vietnam beats Thailand 3-0, will host Cambodia enter the semi-finals (Group B is a match between Laos and Malaysia in 2 home and away matches, the winner enters the semi-finals).

U23 Vietnam prepares for the U23 Southeast Asian tournament in Cambodia. Photo: Archive

In Group C, the Singapore team lost 2 matches and was eliminated, so the match on February 22 will decide whether Vietnam or Thailand will continue. U23 Vietnam is currently ranked above its opponent thanks to a better goal difference (7-0 > 3-1), so it only needs a draw to take the top spot, but playing against Thailand, it is impossible to calculate a draw because the opponent can turn the tables in a split second. Of course, U23 Vietnam still has a chance, if it loses to Thailand by no more than 8 goals, it will still enter the semi-finals in second place in Group C?

Coach Dinh The Nam ofU23 VietnamIt is advantageous to watch both Singapore and Thailand meet each other first to assess the strength of their opponents. It is known that both teams bring 21, 20 and 19 year old players to the tournament, both see this as an opportunity for young players to compete for the future, when the pandemic prevents them from playing regularly. Achievements are always a matter of concern, but learning and drawing lessons to mature is equally important, so success or failure in this tournament is a good opportunity when these two potential teams meet. Both teams had a good start, both won by a large margin against opponents who are facing many difficulties in terms of personnel.

Dinh Xuan Tien's celebration when he scored a beautiful goal against U23 Singapore. Photo courtesy of CTV

While the opening match against Singapore brought many good signs, misfortune is coming to U23 Vietnam before the decisive match against U23 Thailand. That is, the number of players infected with Covid-19 has increased to 10 and forced VFF to decide to add 6 more players, even though these players may not be able to compete with Thailand. Of course, when it is difficult for us, it is also difficult for others, this is inevitable and requires coach Dinh The Nam to "cut his coat according to his cloth", quickly stabilize everything to smoothly operate the tactical formation against a strong opponent like Thailand.

Looking at what U23 Vietnam showed before the match against Singapore, we can rest assured with the role of captain Dung Quang Nho in commanding the whole team, controlling the match and creating breakthroughs as well as seizing opportunities.

The U23 Vietnam midfield played cohesively and explosively with the combination of the trio Quang Nho-Thanh Khoi-Xuan Tien, in which young player Xuan Tien of SLNA left a clear mark, receiving praise from many fans and experts. Coach Dinh The Nam gave Xuan Tien a rest to recuperate for the important match against Thailand after a smooth performance in the midfield, scoring to raise the score to 2-0 and stealing the ball, assisting Quang Nho to score... Hopefully everything is still open for Xuan Tien not only in this tournament?

U23 Vietnam won a resounding 7-0 victory over U23 Singapore. Photo courtesy of VFF

Of course, everyone knows that Thailand is not Singapore, so it is natural that U23 Vietnam will face many difficulties against their opponents. Some of the mistakes made by U23 Vietnam in the match against Singapore must not be repeated, especially in the defense. U23 Thailand will certainly find a way to pass the ball into the armpits of the 2 central defenders, so that the fullback or midfielder can escape to the bottom of the wing to pass back up for the second line to finish. Therefore, defending from a distance and blocking all the opponent's attacks is the vital task of Mr. Dinh The Nam's students. Only when ensuring defensive safety, only when quickly switching to counterattack to "finish off the opponent", will U23 Vietnam have hope of making a difference in this match.

Hopefully Quang Nho, Xuan Tien, Van Tung... will overcome difficulties together and play as expected against the fateful opponent Thailand, in the journey of Vietnamese football to rise and develop, starting from medium-sized tournaments like now./.