Panda Cup 2025: Valuable experiments of U22 Vietnam towards SEA Games 33

U22 Vietnam - Photo 1.

U22 Vietnam (right) performed well in the match against U22 China - Photo: CFA

"This is an important match for us to test the maturity of U22 Vietnam. They are gradually uniting, demonstrating the true spirit and goals that the team is aiming for," acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh emphasized.

Everyone can shine

The excellence of goalkeeper Cao Van Binh is making coach Kim Sang Sik have a hard time thinking about SEA Games 33. With a good physique (1.91m) and experience, Trung Kien has been the number 1 goalkeeper of U22 Vietnam in recent times. But Cao Van Binh has shown that he can completely replace Trung Kien.

Van Binh had two spectacular saves against the two best players of U22 China: midfielder Wang Bo Hao who plays in the Netherlands and striker Behram Abduweli who used to play for the Chinese national team. At the CFA China Team 2025 last March, Cao Van Binh also played excellently and received the title of "Best Goalkeeper of the tournament".

Coach Dinh Hong Vinh's 7 adjustments in the second half also made a difference. In which, Le Van Thuan and Pham Minh Phuc created a turning point in the match. With Van Thuan, U22 Vietnam's wing moves were more distinct. One of them opened up a goal in the 81st minute. He broke through on the left wing, passed the U22 China defender and passed inside. Defender Wang Shiqin missed the ball, allowing Minh Phuc to rush in and score the only goal of the match.

Both have shown that they can bring about a breakthrough. Especially Minh Phuc - a player who is not only solid in defense but also often moves up to support the attack.

Impressive squad depth

Talking about the failure, Coach Antonio Puche said that U22 China did not concentrate the strongest force for the tournament and some key players were injured. But in reality, U22 Vietnam has not yet fielded the strongest squad when Dinh Bac, Viktor Le, Phi Hoang have not been put on the field.

Mr. Vinh said the secret to overcoming U22 China lies in the ability to apply pressure, quickly change state and organize effective group defense. "Previously, we were often caught up in the opponent's rhythm of play. Today, U22 Vietnam proactively applied pressure, maintained a reasonable team distance and knew how to control the game with reasonable ball rotations," Mr. Vinh said.

The central midfield duo Xuan Bac - Van Truong in the first half. Then Quoc Cuong - Van Truong in the second half both helped the U22 Vietnam midfield stand firm against the pressure of U22 China. In addition to the depth of the squad, the competitive mentality is the remarkable maturity of the young Vietnamese players when facing strong opponents.

With the results of the victory over U22 China, coach Dinh Hong Vinh will boldly experiment with personnel in the second match against U22 Uzbekistan tomorrow (November 15). Losing to Korea 0-2, U22 Uzbekistan is still a formidable opponent for U22 Vietnam to continue perfecting its squad and playing tactics. The return of strikers such as Dinh Bac, Viktor Le or Bui Vi Hao to the main squad promises to help U22 Vietnam's attack explode.

U22 Vietnam had a pretty good one-touch combination in the middle of the field in the victory over U22 China. But Thanh Nhan failed to capitalize on the one-on-one with the goalkeeper. This attack needs to be developed alongside the familiar attack from the two wings. And U22 Vietnam will no longer have to worry about penetrating the concrete defenses of weaker opponents like in the past.

NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/panda-cup-2025-nhung-thu-nghiem-gia-tri-cua-u22-viet-nam-huong-den-sea-games-33-20251114112235022.htm