Chinese newspaper assesses U22 Vietnam's ability to win the championship

Before the final round of the Panda Cup friendly tournament, all four teams, U22 China, U22 Vietnam, U22 Korea and U22 Uzbekistan, have 3 points. Of which, U22 China is at the top of the table with a goal difference of +1. The two teams, U22 Korea and U22 Vietnam, both have a goal difference of 0, while U22 Uzbekistan is at the bottom with a goal difference of -1.

Chinese newspaper assesses U22 Vietnam's ability to win the championship - 1

U22 Vietnam has a chance to win the Panda Cup friendly tournament (Photo: CFA).

U22 Vietnam will win the championship if they win against U22 Korea and have the best goal difference. If they only draw and lose to their Korean opponent, U22 Vietnam will miss out on the top spot.

Assessing the championship chances of U22 Vietnam, newspaper 163 said that coach Dinh Hong Vinh's team could cause a surprise: "U22 Korea is really unstable. Therefore, the opportunity for U22 Vietnam to create a surprise could happen.

Even player Kuai Jiwen affirmed that U22 Vietnam caused more difficulties for U22 China than U22 Korea. Coach Dinh Hong Vinh's team has a quite flexible defensive and counter-attacking style of play. They have great confidence and can completely surprise U22 Korea.

Vietnam U22 can rise to win the championship. Therefore, China U22 needs to win 3 points against Uzbekistan U22 to decide their own fate."

The Chinese media still highly appreciate the possibility of the home team winning the championship. They believe that U22 Uzbekistan is not too difficult a challenge. Sina newspaper commented: "The defeat against U22 Vietnam does not lie in the ability of U22 China but mainly due to the depleted force and incomplete preparation.

The team was missing 12 players in the match against U22 Vietnam due to being busy competing in the National Sports Festival. In the match against U22 Korea, 9 players were present, helping U22 China improve their strength significantly.

China U22 has the highest chance of winning the Panda Cup championship when facing Uzbekistan U22 in the final match.

Chinese newspaper assesses U22 Vietnam's ability to win the championship - 2

Chinese newspapers highly appreciate the home team's chances of winning the championship (Photo: Sina).

The U22 Uzbekistan team that appeared in Chengdu this time actually took the core of the players born in 2005-2006 and played for the U20 Uzbekistan team. Previously, in February this year, this squad went to China to participate in the final round of the U20 Asian Cup and was eliminated by U20 Korea in the semi-finals after a penalty shootout.

In the list of players going to China to participate in the Panda Cup, the pillars of the former U20 team such as number 1 striker Ulinboyev (top scorer of the U20 Asia this year) or Mirzayev, the player currently playing for the Leganes Club in Spain, are not present.

Therefore, in terms of strength, Uzbekistan's "age handicap" squad still has a certain gap compared to the two U22 teams of Korea and Vietnam. In other words, U22 China has a chance to defeat this opponent. In addition, at the Yancheng friendly tournament in March, U22 China also drew with U22 Uzbekistan, so the players understand the opponent's playing style relatively well.

Meanwhile, Chosun (Korea) also expressed pessimism when the home team clashed with U22 Vietnam in the final match. This newspaper commented: "U22 Korea played too weakly. If they continue to play this way, coach Lee Min Sung's team will hardly be able to defeat U22 Vietnam. It should be emphasized that U22 Vietnam was the team that won U22 China in the opening match. They showed a flexible defensive and counter-attacking style of play.

U22 Vietnam is a relatively strong team. They have many quality players and are ready to punish the mistakes of U22 Korea. In a friendly tournament like Panda Cup, any result can happen."

According to the match schedule, U22 Vietnam will face U22 Korea at 2:30 p.m. on November 18. Meanwhile, U22 China will face U22 Uzbekistan at 6:35 p.m. on the same day.

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