Coach Minh Chiến admits his mistake.

The clash with Thailand U16 in the semi-finals is the biggest challenge for Vietnam U16 since the start of the Southeast Asian tournament. Although coach Tran Minh Chien's team convincingly topped Group B with 21 goals scored against Brunei U16, Myanmar U16, and Cambodia U16, Thailand U16 has always been a formidable opponent in youth tournaments.

The reality proved that the Thai youth team was a formidable opponent, starting the semi-final match at 3 PM today, July 1st, with great enthusiasm. Although both teams controlled the ball equally, the U16 Thai team was the more diverse in attack and had better chances of scoring in the first half.

Vietnam U.16 started the match with an open style.

In the 7th minute, goalkeeper Nguyen Van Thang Long had to showcase his skills with a diving save to prevent a dangerous header from a Thai U.16 player. Vietnam U.16 then responded, but after a familiar one-two pass in the midfield with his teammates, Viet Long failed to convert the chance to score in the 22nd minute.

Towards the end of the first half, Thang Long's goal was under threat again as the U.16 Thailand team put pressure on them. In the 42nd minute, the U.16 Vietnam goalkeeper had to make another save, pushing away a long-range shot from the opponent. Similarly, in the 45th minute, Poramet Laoongdi took a powerful free kick, but the ball went wide of the goal.

The exciting back-and-forth game continued into the second half, as both teams were eager to finish the match quickly, rather than playing cautiously until a penalty shootout.

With adjustments made at halftime, coach Tran Minh Chien made a difference for Vietnam U16. In the 50th minute, Nguyen Hong Quang penetrated the penalty area and fell after a collision. After consulting VAR, referee Du Jianxin reviewed the replay and awarded Vietnam U16 a penalty.

From the penalty spot, Dau Hong Phong decisively struck the ball to open the scoring in the 52nd minute.

Thailand U.16's attack was quite fluid.

However, the U16 Thailand team only needed one minute to find the equalizer. In the 61st minute, goalkeeper Thang Long punched the ball away from a corner kick, but the U16 Vietnam team failed to adequately cover their second line, leaving a gap for Phuriphan Phothong to head the ball past Thang Long's outstretched hand, leveling the score at 1-1 for the team nicknamed "The War Elephants".

The game continued at a high pace, but both teams lacked precision in crucial moments. In the 81st minute, receiving a skillful pass with the outside of his foot from a teammate, Thanh Bình broke free on the left edge of the penalty area and unleashed a powerful shot that crossed the U.16 Thailand goal. Later, Thanh Bình again headed the ball after a cross from Việt Long, but it was unsuccessful.

It was a cruel blow for the Vietnam U16 team; despite having a good game, coach Tran Minh Chien's players conceded a goal. In the 90+3 minute, receiving a skillful pass from Siwakorn Ponsan, Chaiwat Ngoenma controlled the ball neatly and then unleashed a lightning-fast left-footed shot, giving the Thang Long goalkeeper no chance to save it.

Vietnam U16 played with great effort in the remaining 12 minutes of added time, but could not equalize as Thailand U16 pressed and maintained a well-organized formation.

Having lost to Thailand U16, Coach Tran Minh Chien's team failed to reach the final of the Southeast Asian U16 Championship. In the third-place match, Vietnam U16 will face the loser of the match between Indonesia U16 and Australia U16.

Coach Tran Minh Chien apologizes to the fans.

Speaking after the semi-final match of the 2024 Southeast Asian U.16 Championship, coach Tran Minh Chien expressed: “I would like to congratulate the Thai U.16 team for having a game that exceeded my expectations. We have respect for them. This is my fault for not executing the tactics well. I apologize to the fans for this defeat.”

The head coach of the Vietnam U16 team further shared that the young players' psychological preparation was not good due to their lack of prior match experience. “Most of them have only played a maximum of 6 matches in the U17 national qualifiers, along with 3 friendly matches. Their match experience is limited. Therefore, the players entered the tournament with somewhat tense minds. That's a disadvantage for them. They were too worried about the match. That's also partly my responsibility.”

When asked how he assessed VAR, given that an Indonesian reporter suggested it didn't intervene in Thailand's equalizer goal, which put Vietnam at a disadvantage, Coach Tran Minh Chien said: "That's football. We benefit from VAR and we also lose because of VAR. That's normal in football. I think the introduction of VAR helps the players get used to technology in matches early on, and its involvement brings fairness."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u16-viet-nam-thua-u16-thai-lan-trong-ngay-var-xuat-hien-lo-giac-mo-chung-ket-185240701162321777.htm