Valuable lessons learned from the defeat of the Vietnam U23 team.

(NLDO) - Professional analysis of the semi-final match between Vietnam U23 and China U23, which ended in a 0-3 defeat, reveals the reasons for the failure of Coach Kim Sang-sik's team.

Entering the match against China U23 as the "superior" team, Vietnam U23's approach to the game was not well-planned. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team was surprised by China U23's proactive ball control and attacking style of play. Previously, the East Asian team had frequently used a defensive counter-attacking strategy since the beginning of the tournament and made as many as six changes to their starting lineup when facing Vietnam U23.

Match statistics show that the Chinese U23 team dominated the Vietnamese U23 team in terms of ball possession, shots on goal, and winning challenges. Coach Antonio Puche's team had an advantage in terms of physique and stamina, so they approached the match confidently, pushing their formation high from the start.

China's high-pressure, high-pressing style of play left the Vietnamese U23 team struggling to build attacks from their own half, forcing them to resort to long passes over the top. Winning aerial duels became a weakness for the Vietnamese players when competing against China.

The turning point of the match came in the 33rd minute, when center-back Hieu Minh suffered a serious injury and was unable to continue playing. Losing a defender strong in aerial duels, coach Kim Sang-sik brought in Duc Anh to fill the gap. However, the center-back, who was relatively short and had never played before, was disoriented, made numerous mistakes, and failed to perform his assigned duties.

Many commentators suggested that instead of fielding an unprepared player, Coach Kim should give a midfielder (Viktor Le, Van Thuan, etc.) a chance to play, changing the formation from 3 center-backs to 4 defenders (3-4-1-2 to 4-3-3 or 4-4-2) to maintain team shape and technical skill.

In the second half, the Chinese U23 team continued to surprise their opponents by proactively increasing the tempo of the game. This was also the time when the Vietnamese U23 team ran out of steam, revealing weaknesses in their defense, leading to a goal conceded in the 47th minute.

Experts believe that within 10 minutes of conceding the first goal, the probability of conceding a second goal is as high as 80% if the players lose focus and fail to regain their composure. Coach Kim's team fell into this situation and conceded a second goal in the 52nd minute.

Ultimately, playing with ten men after defender Ly Duc received a direct red card in the 74th minute shattered Vietnam U23's efforts to turn the tide, and they conceded a third goal near the end of the match. In this game, Ly Duc repeatedly made mistakes, nearly scored an own goal, and was slow to read aerial situations.

The inability to control emotions during the match led to Ly Duc receiving a red card, directly affecting the team's tactical approach as well as the personnel and lineup plans for the Vietnam U23 team in the next match.

These are valuable lessons learned after Vietnam U23's defeat against China U23. Competing against formidable teams at the continental level will help young Vietnamese players gain experience, improve their skills, and mature in the future.

At 10 PM on January 23rd, the Vietnam U23 team will face the South Korea U23 team in the third-place match of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team will have another opportunity to experience one of Asia's leading football nations to further improve before taking on the responsibility of representing the national team.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/bai-hoc-quy-sau-that-bai-cua-u23-viet-nam-196260121094358349.htm