Coaches of China and Uzbekistan teams highly appreciate U.23 Vietnam

U.23 Vietnam received high praise

At the press conference before the CFA Team China - Panda Cup 2025 international football tournament taking place on the afternoon of November 11, the head coaches of the U.23 teams of Vietnam, host China, Korea, and Uzbekistan shared about their preparations and opponents. In particular, U.23 Vietnam received high praise from the coaches of the opposing teams.

Head coach of the host team China Antonio commented: "Welcome to China to participate in this tournament. This is an important part of the Chinese team's preparation plan for the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals. Our three opponents at the 2025 Panda Cup are all very strong. For example, U.23 Vietnam, just looking at the draw group (U.23 Vietnam is in the second seed group when drawing for the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals - PV) can see their position and level. Uzbekistan and Korea are both football powerhouses in Asia. Therefore, this tournament sets very high requirements for us."

Mr. Ravshan Haydarov, head coach of U.23 Uzbekistan, shared: "We have met China, Vietnam and Korea in previous tournaments. They are all strong teams and have many good players. This tournament, our team is young, including many players born in 2005 - 2006. Hopefully, the Uzbekistan team will accumulate a lot of useful experience. Through the tournament, we have the opportunity to prepare for the upcoming U.23 Asian finals."

HLV đội Trung Quốc, Uzbekistan nói gì về U.23 Việt Nam? - Ảnh 1. — From left to right: Coach Lee Min-sung (Korean team), Antonio (Chinese team), Ravshan Haydarov (Uzbekistan team) and Dinh Hong Vinh (Vietnamese team)

South Korea U.23 captain Lee Min-sung said: "I did not lead the team in the previous tournament so I will not give an assessment. However, I think this tournament will be a good preparation for us before the 2026 AFC U.23 Championship finals."

In the most recent tournament, also organized by the Chinese Football Association (CFA) in March this year, U.23 Vietnam also faced host China, South Korea and Uzbekistan. Coach Dinh Hong Vinh and his team achieved an undefeated result after 3 matches, drawing 1-1 with South Korea, 0-0 with Uzbekistan and 1-1 with China. "Those matches really helped our young players mature a lot, contributing to creating a foundation for U.23 Vietnam to win the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship, and also win all the qualifiers for the 2026 Asian U.23 Championship," Mr. Vinh affirmed.

Coach Dinh Hong Vinh also hopes that continuing to face strong opponents at the Panda Cup 2025 will be an important stepping stone to help the Vietnam U.23 team consolidate its strength and perfect its playing style, before entering two upcoming major goals: the 33rd SEA Games (December in Thailand) and the 2026 AFC U.23 Championship finals (January 2026 in Saudi Arabia).

At the CFA Team China - Panda Cup 2025 international football tournament, U.23 Vietnam will meet host China (18:35, November 12), Uzbekistan (14:30, November 15), before playing the final match with Korea (14:30, November 18).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-doi-trung-quoc-uzbekistan-danh-gia-cao-u23-viet-nam-18525111117584126.htm