Dinh Bac in the final match with U23 Indonesia - Photo: ANH KHOA
The Vietnam U23 team won the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship after defeating host Indonesia U23 1-0 in the final.
Not only did they make history by winning the tournament for 3 consecutive times, the performance of many young Vietnamese players also showed that they could play for the Vietnamese team right from the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup. Especially the return match against Malaysia in Hanoi in March next year.
The current U23 Vietnam team has 7 players who have joined the Vietnam national team before: goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, center back Pham Ly Duc, midfielders Nguyen Thai Son, Nguyen Van Truong, Khuat Van Khang, strikers Nguyen Dinh Bac, Nguyen Quoc Viet.
Among them, Trung Kien and Van Khang, along with the U23 Vietnam team, won the 2024 ASEAN Cup. Ly Duc even played in the first leg against Malaysia in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup last June, when he entered the field at the beginning of the second half to replace the injured Bui Tien Dung.
Three U23 Vietnam players have the opportunity to play in the national team
Among the 7 players who have played for the Vietnam national team, Ly Duc, Van Truong and Dinh Bac have the most chances to play for the Vietnam national team in the near future. That is because all three have shown clear progress. At the same time, they play in the position that coach Kim Sang Sik needs to innovate in the Vietnam national team.
Playing continuously for Hoang Anh Gia Lai Club in V-League has helped Ly Duc mature quickly. This 1m82 tall center back can play alongside Duy Manh and Thanh Chung. Or he can replace Thanh Chung in case this veteran center back is injured.
In the 0-4 loss to host Malaysia, Pham Xuan Manh, who played as a sweeper center back in place of Thanh Chung who was injured in the 38th minute, did not play as well as expected. Xuan Manh is good at playing as a full back. Due to his short stature (1m72), Xuan Manh could not compete well for the ball in the air with the tall naturalized players of Malaysia.
Van Truong in the final match with U23 Indonesia - Photo: ANH KHOA
Van Truong is an ideal addition to the team's midfield.
In the midfield, after discovering Doan Ngoc Tan was injured, coach Kim Sang Sik used the pair Hoang Duc - Minh Khoa in the match against Malaysia. With this pair of midfielders, the Vietnamese team seemed to be inferior to the Malaysian midfield. Hoang Duc even received a yellow card.
Even with Doan Ngoc Tan's return, coach Kim Sang Sik still needs a better holding midfielder who can even initiate attacks to create scoring opportunities. Doan Ngoc Tan (1m69) or Minh Khoa (1m73) are both strong holding midfielders.
Meanwhile, Van Truong has a good physique (1m82) to compete and recover the ball, and at the same time has the technique to launch effective attacks. The 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Tournament witnessed a Van Truong playing much better than himself.
Previously, Van Truong disappointed coach Kim Sang Sik after unsuccessfully testing him in the midfield of the Vietnamese team before the 2024 ASEAN Cup. And then he was eliminated from the team.
New suggestions for Vietnam's attack
Although Bui Vi Hao is injured, the left winger position in the Vietnam national team is still very crowded when there are many players who can play such as Nguyen Van Vi, Pham Tuan Hai, Chau Ngoc Quang, and even Khuat Van Khang.
Therefore, even though Dinh Bac plays outstandingly in the Vietnam U23 team, it is unlikely that he will be able to start in the Vietnam national team in his favorite position of left winger.
However, his good performance as a striker in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship with two goals and receiving the title of "Best Player of the Tournament" will be a suggestion for coach Kim Sang Sik. Because in case the main striker Tien Linh is not in good form or is injured, the Korean coach will be able to use Dinh Bac as a replacement.
Before that, Mr. Kim often used Dinh Thanh Binh instead of Tien Linh. But this striker was only strong and did not have the technical skills and good finishing skills like Dinh Bac.
Due to injury, Dinh Bac has not had the opportunity to wear the Vietnamese national team jersey under coach Kim Sang Sik. The 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament is also the first time he has played under Mr. Kim.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bao-nhieu-cau-thu-u23-viet-nam-du-suc-da-voi-dan-sao-nhap-tich-cua-malaysia-20250730103524496.htm
Comment (0)