Chinese coach claims U22 Vietnam won by luck

(Dan Tri) - Speaking at a press conference, coach Antonio Puche of U22 China said that U22 Vietnam won by luck.

In the opening match of the Panda Cup friendly tournament in Chengdu on the evening of November 12, U22 Vietnam won 1-0 against host U22 China. The only goal of the match was scored by Minh Phuc in the 81st minute.

Coach Antonio Puche assessed that U22 Vietnam won by luck (Photo: Sina).

Speaking after the match, China U22 coach Antonio Puche expressed his disappointment. He said: "I am not satisfied with some aspects of China U22 but it is not convenient to share at this time."

However, the Spanish strategist still gave words of encouragement to his players, and at the same time he affirmed that U22 Vietnam had won by luck. “This was a balanced match between two quality teams. U22 Vietnam took advantage of the opportunity well and was luckier. The result could have been 1-0, 0-0 or 0-1, all reasonable. I am satisfied with the players' efforts, although the team still has many points to improve,” the 53-year-old coach emphasized.

In the match against U22 Vietnam, U22 China did not have the strongest force as many key players had to attend the National Sports Festival. Meanwhile, number one star Wang Yudong even got injured before the tournament and could not participate.

Coach Puche admitted the difficulty in rotating the squad: “Many players were not in good shape today. Behram Abduweli had cramps in the 75th minute, Xu Bin lost strength in the 70th minute, Xiang Yuwang is slightly injured, and Li Zhenquan has just played in a domestic tournament. We need to protect the players, otherwise they will be exhausted.”

Many Chinese U22 players were exhausted in the match with U22 Vietnam (Photo: Sina).

When asked about Wang Yudong's condition, the Spanish strategist frankly shared: "He was really exhausted, both physically and mentally. Wang told me that he could not continue playing. In that situation, should I still let him play? I am the one responsible so I need to protect my player. It was the right decision for me to let Wang rest."

According to the schedule, U22 China will face U22 Korea and U22 Uzbekistan in the next two matches. If they continue to play unconvincingly, the home team may face the risk of losing all three matches and finishing bottom of the group at the 2025 Panda Cup.

Meanwhile, U22 Vietnam will meet U22 Uzbekistan in the second match at 2:30 p.m. on November 15. The team's spirit is high after the victory over the home team.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/hlv-trung-quoc-tuyen-bo-u22-viet-nam-thang-may-man-20251113010008415.htm