Chinese media hurt by statement of U22 Vietnam coach

Sina newspaper (China) pointed out "something more frightening" than the defeat of U22 China against Vietnam on the opening day of the 2025 Panda Cup Friendly Tournament.

China U22 lost to Vietnam U22 in the 2025 Panda Cup Friendly Tournament - Photo: SINA

In an article titled: "Losing to Vietnam is not scary, what is scary is the post-match words of the U22 Vietnam coach", Sina website said that the absence of many key players for various reasons was one of the reasons for the U22 China defeat.

However, the author of the article does not deny the weakness of the home team, along with the progress of Vietnamese football.

Witnessing his team's defeat, commentator Yuan Jia had to exclaim: "There is nothing left to say about China U22 coach Antonio Puche. His team has absolutely no idea how to organize an attack, and their playing style is nothing special."

"It's true that the squad is lacking, but that cannot be the reason for failure" - writer Ding Xu commented.

However, Sina website asserted that the loss of U22 China is not as worrying as the statement of U22 Vietnam coach Dinh Hong Vinh. Sina described the statement of U22 Vietnam coach as "both admirable and hitting straight into the weak heart of U23 China".

In the last 2 times, U22 Vietnam lost 1 and drew 1 against U22 China. When asked about the reason why U22 Vietnam did not win the previous 2 times but the result this time was different, coach Dinh Hong Vinh said: "Compared to the previous two times, our current squad is much stronger. We are not only preparing for the SEA Games but also for the U23 Asian finals next year, so this time we brought the best squad."

This statement hurt the Chinese media because it implicitly acknowledged the fact that Chinese football is declining while Vietnamese football is making great progress. As long as they have the strongest squad, U22 Vietnam will defeat China.

Sina concluded: "The number of teams that China can beat in Asia is getting fewer and fewer. China's head coach Shao Jiayi - who was present to watch the match live - probably also found it difficult to see any glimmer of hope...".

HOAI DU

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/truyen-thong-trung-quoc-dau-voi-phat-bieu-cua-hlv-u22-viet-nam-20251113053759368.htm