Adjust the sight
After the 2-1 comeback win over U23 Philippines in the semi-finals, coach Kim Sang-sik said he was satisfied with the performance of the players, notably their effort, fighting spirit and adherence to the coaching staff's tactics. However, what made the Korean strategist uneasy was the fact that the players missed many opportunities.
In fact, the match against U23 Philippines was the match in which U23 Vietnam players played the most attacking game since the beginning of the tournament. However, the finishing and ability to convert opportunities into goals were not done well by coach Kim Sang-sik's students.
In just the first 12 minutes of the match against U23 Philippines, U23 Vietnam players created 3 clear scoring opportunities, two of which were shots that hit the post by Dinh Bac and Anh Quan. If they had taken better advantage of their opportunities, U23 Vietnam would have taken the lead very early instead of conceding the first goal in the middle of the first half.
Dinh Bac's equalizer at the end of the first half was also somewhat lucky when this player hit the post and had to rely on a rebound to score. In this match, Dinh Bac was quite unlucky in his finishing. If he had been more calm in the subsequent face-off, this player could have helped U23 Vietnam enter the break with the advantage of leading.
Not only that, U23 Vietnam continued to waste opportunities in the second half. The most regrettable situation was in the 78th minute, Phi Hoang had an accurate cross from the left wing but in front of an open goal, Van Thuan kicked the ball over the bar. If he had done better in this situation, U23 Vietnam would have led 3-1 and would not have had to make fans nervous in the final minutes of the match, when U23 Philippines attacked with nothing left to lose.
“This match was very hard for the whole team. Everyone ran for 95 minutes to bring home the victory. The team is still lacking a real striker. Coach Kim Sang-sik will definitely make adjustments for the whole team. We need to improve our finishing ability in the next match,” midfielder Nguyen Van Truong admitted the problem of U23 Vietnam after the semi-final match.
Clearly, the efficiency in finishing is a big problem for U23 Vietnam. Previously in the group stage, the team scored 5 goals against U23 Laos and U23 Cambodia, but 3 of them came from the central defenders.
Coach Kim Sang-sik’s players, especially the strikers, need to adjust their aim, as the final against host U23 Indonesia is a completely different story from the opponents the team has just played. Against the home team’s defense, clear scoring opportunities like in the semi-final will not come often and the players will have to take full advantage if the opportunity arises.
Determined for the third time
Vietnam U23 has made it to the final match of the regional tournament for the third consecutive time. In 2022 in Cambodia, Vietnam U23 under the leadership of coach Dinh The Nam, despite facing difficulties in terms of personnel, still won the championship after defeating Thailand U23 with a minimum score in the final.
A year later in Thailand, coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team went through 120 breathless minutes of the final and only won 6-5 in the penalty shootout against U23 Indonesia. Of course, the goal of U23 Vietnam in this year's final remains the same, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team are determined to bring the Cup home for the third time.
Two years after the defeat, U23 Indonesia is determined to "get revenge" against U23 Vietnam. The "island nation" team has enough "heavenly time, geographical advantage and harmony" to do this. U23 Indonesia has been considered the top candidate for the championship since the beginning of the tournament when playing at home, as well as having the highest-rated squad in the tournament. Coach Vanenburg (Netherlands) has a strong and balanced squad, including naturalized player Jens Raven, who scored 6 goals against Brunei in the group stage.
Before the final match, U23 Indonesia is the team that has scored the most goals (10 goals) and also the team that has conceded the least goals (1 goal). This team has the home advantage of Bung Karno Stadium, where tens of thousands of spectators can put pressure on the opponent. The only problem of U23 Indonesia at the moment is probably physical strength. In the group stage, Coach Vanenburg's students had to play 3 matches (because Group A has 4 teams) and they just went through a tense 120-minute semi-final match with Thailand.
Any team that has reached the final will always be determined to win the highest title and U23 Vietnam is no exception. Coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed: “I have never faced the current coach of Indonesia, but I watched their match in the semi-finals. Indonesia is getting stronger and stronger under the leadership of coach Vanenburg. They are a formidable and well-organized team. But no matter who we face in the final, we will prepare carefully. The important thing to win is physical strength and confidence. If we maintain our confidence and prepare well, U23 Vietnam can absolutely win the championship.”
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/thu-thach-kho-khan-156841.html
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