SEA Games 33: Vietnam U22 center back cautious before decisive match against Malaysia U22

On the afternoon of December 7, U22 Vietnam continued to have a training session to prepare for the match against U22 Malaysia at the bottom of Group B, men's football SEA Games 33. The training session took place at 4 p.m. in Bangkok so the weather was very hot, but the whole team still showed the highest determination.

Before that, the whole team went to Rajamangala Stadium to watch the match between U22 Malaysia and U22 Laos to get an overview of the upcoming opponent. Talking to the press, midfielder Nhat Minh assessed that U22 Malaysia is holding an advantage over U22 Vietnam after coming from behind and scoring 4 goals against U22 Laos. He also said that the Malayan Tigers rely heavily on strength, so the U22 Vietnam players must pay special attention.

"We watched the match between U22 Malaysia and U22 Laos. They won with a big score and played very well. U22 Malaysia is also strong, so we focused more in training sessions. Currently, coach Kim Sang-sik has not shared with the team, but he will analyze more carefully in training sessions so that U22 Vietnam can improve in the next match," said the player currently playing for Hai Phong .

U22 players practice under the sun in Bangkok. (Photo: Anh Thang)

However, Nhat Minh believes that the opportunities are still divided equally between the two teams. He shared: "U22 Vietnam and U22 Malaysia both have 3 points, so the chance is 50-50 for the top spot in the group. I think whoever performs better in the next match will get a ticket to the semi-finals of SEA Games 33."

Nhat Minh added that U22 Vietnam has prepared very carefully and the whole team is very confident because of the recent good results when facing Malaysia. So everyone is aiming for a victory on December 9.

In another development, at noon on December 7, the U22 Vietnam players visited and encouraged captain Phetdavanh of U22 Laos, the team staying at the same hotel. In the 85th minute of the match with U22 Malaysia, Phetdavanh had a dangerous tackle on an opposing player and received a second yellow card, and left the field on a stretcher. The midfielder born in 2001 was later diagnosed with a broken right leg and taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Nhat Minh and his teammates wished Phetdavanh a speedy recovery so he could return to the field. "Before the U22 Laos team left the hotel to return home, we encouraged the Lao player who was seriously injured. Everyone sympathized and shared, sending a little love to him so he could recover from his injury faster," said midfielder Nhat Minh Minh.

Some training photos of U22 Vietnam: