Xuan Truong and Cong Phuong missed penalties, U21 HAGL became former champions

U21 HAGL drew 0-0 with U21 Yokohama after two regular periods and lost 2-3 on penalties in the first semi-final match on the afternoon of December 24.

Cong Phuong's disappointment contrasts with the joy of U21 Yokohama at Thong Nhat Stadium. Photo: Duc Dong.

Cong Phuong's Panenka-style penalty kick was the final point in the journey to defend the championship of U21 HAGL. Before that, Cong Phuong's two teammates, Xuan Truong and Van Son, also failed to beat U21 Yokohama's captain Akaoka from the 11-meter mark. The away team only had one player miss and won 3-2 after the penalty shootout.

U21 HAGL had to stop in the semi-finals after being unable to finish off their opponents in 90 minutes despite having superior ball control and chances. Coach Graechen's team could not repeat their achievement of winning the U21 International Championship in the last two years.

The highest achievement of U21 HAGL in this year's tournament can only be third place if they defeat the losing team in the second semi-final match between U21 Vietnam and U21 Thailand taking place tomorrow afternoon, December 25. Meanwhile, U21 Yokohama will play in the final match on December 27.

Van Toan (right) and his teammates tried their best but could not score against U21 Yokohama after 90 minutes. Photo: Duc Dong.

Yokohama U21 were highly rated after two wins in the group stage and they showed their danger against HAGL U21 right from the start of the match. Only the crossbar saved HAGL U21 from a header by Yotamae Jima in the eighth minute.

U21 HAGL started to hold the ball and attack from the middle of the first half but could not create any dangerous opportunities. The persistent man-to-man play of U21 Yokohama meant that Cong Phuong and Van Toan did not have much room to play and had to rely on finishing shots from outside the 16m50 box.

However, things changed from the second half. The attacks of U21 HAGL became significantly more effective, including two delicious situations by Hong Duy and Van Toan. Starting from a quick counter-attack, Hong Duy faced goalkeeper Akaoka in the 16m50 box but could not beat the U21 Yokohama captain. Van Toan had another chance to finish a face-to-face a few minutes later, this time the shot went wide of the post.

Hong Duy's face-off was the best chance for U21 HAGL in this match. Photo: Duc Dong.

In this match, Cong Phuong did not have any valuable breakthroughs to create opportunities for his teammates. The U21 Yokohama players followed the U21 HAGL striker very closely, with at least two players constantly blocking him.

In the final minutes, U21 HAGL tried to increase the tempo but U21 Yokohama decided to retreat to defense, causing the match to end 90 minutes with a score of 0-0. In the penalty shootout, captain Akaoka was the hero of U21 Yokohama when he blocked three shots from Van Son, Xuan Truong and Cong Phuong.

In the previous year’s title match, Myanmar U21 and Gangwon U21 also had to go to penalties. However, in 90 minutes, there were six goals scored, divided equally between the two teams. Myanmar U21 were down 3-0 and drew 3-3 before completing the comeback with a 4-3 victory in the penalty shootout.

Line-up

U21 HAGL:Van Truong, Van Son, Dong Trieu, Van Thanh, Dang Tuan, Hong Duy, Xuan Truong, Thanh Hau, A Hoang, Van Toan, Cong Phuong.

U21 Yokohama: Akaoka, Jitomi, Ainoue, Shryuito, Ejima, Yukueda, Shoya Ochiak, Kesaito, Keitaishi, Kanazawa, Kamiyama.

According to VNE