Chinese newspaper commented frankly about U22 Vietnam

On November 12, U22 Vietnam will enter the opening match of the Panda Cup friendly tournament in Chengdu (China) against the host team U22 China. Before this match, the Chinese press is paying special attention to U22 Vietnam.

Sina newspaper affirmed that U22 Vietnam is an experienced team (Photo: Minh Quan).

In an analysis of the strength of U22 Vietnam, Sina newspaper commented: “All three opponents, U22 Vietnam, U22 Korea and U22 Uzbekistan, are very strong. In particular, U22 Vietnam attaches great importance to this tournament as it is a place to test their skills before the 33rd SEA Games .

The strength of U22 Vietnam lies in their fighting spirit. Of the 26 players called up to participate in this tournament, 14 have played for the national team. 9 of them participated in the Asian Cup qualifiers in October, including key players such as Quoc Viet and Khuat Van Khang.

Meanwhile, striker Bui Vi Hao has also recovered from injury. That has helped improve the strength of U22 Vietnam compared to when they participated in the friendly tournament in Yancheng (Jiangsu, China) in March. Therefore, if they are not careful, U22 China could lose to coach Dinh Hong Vinh's team in the opening match of the Panda Cup.

U22 Vietnam once drew with U22 China in a friendly tournament in Yancheng (Photo: Sina).

Sina also added about the home team: “The Chinese U22 team has started training since November 9. The whole team considers this an important tournament, preparing for the Asian U23 tournament in January 2026. The Chinese U22 team has called up 30 of the best players possible. Many of them are key players in the campaign to hunt for tickets to the 2026 Olympics.

Compared to the squad that participated in the U23 Asian qualifiers in September, China U22 will not have the services of Yu Jinyong and Zhang Yixuan due to injury. Some key players such as Hu Hetao, Xiang Yuwang, Li Zhenquan and Bao Shimeng have returned to the team. In particular, midfielder Yimulan has also returned after 7 months of injury.

According to the schedule, in the Panda Cup, U22 Vietnam will face U22 China (November 12), U22 Uzbekistan (November 15) and U22 Korea (November 18). After the tournament, the whole team will return home to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games in December.