Thai fans say something surprising about Vietnam's U23 team: Coach Kim and his players must be cautious...

"Wishing the best for the Vietnam U23 team"

On the ASEAN Football forum , with over 600,000 followers, a post about the match between Vietnam U23 and Saudi Arabia U23 quickly became a focal point with thousands of interactions. Most surprisingly, Thai football fans – long-standing rivals of Vietnamese football – unanimously sided with Coach Kim Sang-sik's team. Instead of the usual heated debates, fans from the land of the golden temples continuously sent messages of heartfelt support for Vietnam, along with reminders for Coach Kim Sang-sik's team to be especially careful about the risk of receiving cards or penalties.

A Thai fan expressed deep empathy, saying they are still "haunted" by the harsh referee decisions when facing West Asian teams in the past, while also calling Vietnam the "big brother" of the region and wishing the whole team victory with the message "susu" (keep going). One viewer exclaimed: "Vietnam U23 can do it!" "9 points for Vietnam U23, no more words needed" or "Wishing the best for Mr. Kim's team"... were some of the encouraging messages from Thai football fans on the ASEAN Football forum .

Vietnam U23 faces a major challenge in the form of host nation Saudi Arabia U23 in the decisive final match.

PHOTO: ASEAN FOOTBALL

This support wasn't limited to Thailand but spread strongly to football fans in other countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, and Indonesia. Comments like "Good luck to Vietnam U23" or "Vietnam will definitely win this match" appeared frequently.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese fans are hoping that Khuat Van Khang and his teammates will play calmly and confidently to overcome the big challenge posed by the Saudi Arabian U23 team in the crucial match taking place late tonight.

What should Vietnam U23 be wary of in their crucial quarter-final match against Saudi Arabia?

Vietnam U23 is leading the group and has a strong chance of advancing.

Currently in Group A, Vietnam U23 is leading with 6 points. Following them are Saudi Arabia U23 (3 points) and Jordan U23 (3 points), while Kyrgyzstan U23 is at the bottom (0 points). In the final matchday, Vietnam U23 will face host nation Saudi Arabia, while Jordan will play against Kyrgyzstan, the weakest team in the group.

In the final round of matches, if U.23 Jordan wins against Kyrgyzstan (which is very likely) and U.23 Vietnam loses to Saudi Arabia, Group A will witness a breathtaking chase with three teams tied on 6 points.

Then, a "mini-ranking" will be created among three teams: Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. The results of the matches between these teams and Kyrgyzstan will be disregarded. The top two teams in the "mini-ranking" will advance to the next round.

Vietnam U23 will definitely advance if one of the following scenarios occurs: a draw or a win against Saudi Arabia (Vietnam U23 will secure a place in the quarterfinals as group A winners); Jordan fails to beat Kyrgyzstan. Even if they lose by a small margin against Saudi Arabia U23, Coach Kim Sang-sik's team will still advance.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/fan-thai-lan-noi-dieu-bat-ngo-ve-u23-viet-nam-thay-tro-ong-kim-phai-can-trong-185260112153341451.htm