Quoc Viet: 'U23 Vietnam wasted many opportunities'

Striker Nguyen Quoc Viet frankly admitted that the performance of U23 Vietnam against Cambodia was not really convincing even though the home team won the right to enter the semi-finals of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament.

Quoc Viet is not satisfied with the performance of U23 Vietnam. Photo: VFF .

"Today, U23 Vietnam wasted too many opportunities. Letting U23 Cambodia score 1 goal caused many difficulties for the whole team," Quoc Viet shared after his team's 2-1 victory on the evening of July 22.

Despite being rated higher, coach Kim Sang-sik's players had a rather difficult match. After Pham Ly Duc opened the scoring in the 35th minute, the U23 Vietnam defense exposed a gap, allowing Cambodia to equalize. It was not until the end of the match that Dinh Bac, who came off the bench, scored the decisive goal to bring the final victory to the red team.

In this match, Quoc Viet was given a chance to play by coach Kim but continued to "goalless" for the second consecutive match. "Personally, I had the chance but did not execute it well, although in training sessions, coach Kim Sang-sik showed me how to run to break the offside trap and improve my movement on the field," the striker who grew up at the HAGL academy admitted.

However, Quoc Viet is still determined before the semi-final match with U23 Philippines at 4pm on July 25. "Every opponent is very difficult, but U23 Vietnam always tries their best when they are on the field," he emphasized. The upcoming semi-final match is an opportunity for the "king of the youth tournament" to regain his scoring touch and affirm his role in coach Kim Sang-sik's tactical scheme.

Source: https://znews.vn/quoc-viet-u23-viet-nam-phung-phi-nhieu-co-hoi-post1570850.html