U.23 Vietnam 3-0 U.23 Laos: Van Khang excelled, central defender Hieu Minh scored a double

U.23 Vietnam determined to win to be successful

Winning big in the opening match is a habit of U.23 Vietnam in the past 2 tournaments in the U.23 Southeast Asian playground. In 2022, the team led by coach Dinh The Nam won 7-0 against U.23 Singapore on the opening day. 1 year later, also in the opening match, U.23 Vietnam won 4-1 against U.23 Laos. The common point of these 2 tournaments is that U.23 Vietnam both stepped up to the championship. A smooth start always creates a confident and excited mentality throughout the tournament journey for U.23 Vietnam. Hopefully this time will be the same.

Vietnam U.23 is considered to be stronger than both Laos U.23 and Cambodia U.23. Coach Kim Sang-sik's squad has been "tested" in many tournaments such as U.23 and U.20 Asia, U.23 Southeast Asia, SEA Games (at youth level) and 2026 World Cup qualifiers, 2023 Asian Cup (at national team level). Some players were promoted to V-League when they were only 20, 21 years old and made their mark, such as Trung Kien, Ly Duc (HAGL) or Van Thuan, Thai Son ( Thanh Hoa ).

- Ảnh 1. — U.23 Vietnam determined to win the opening match

Although not in every tournament, the young stars of U.23 Vietnam play well, but for the players who have just entered their twenties, each match is a lesson to experience. Coach Kim Sang-sik's students only lack cohesion when they only play together occasionally. This shortcoming has been completely compensated by Coach Kim in the past month, when U.23 Vietnam not only practiced smoothly, with high frequency (2 sessions/day) at high intensity, but Coach Kim also required his students to interact and connect in daily activities.

Just like when he coached the Vietnamese national team or Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Club (Korea) before, Coach Kim Sang-sik always emphasizes the collective aspect. No one is bigger than the team, but everyone must play as a unified entity. In the two friendly matches with U.23 Taiwan, Mr. Kim "turned the Rubik's cube" of the team, replacing many positions and applying many different playing styles, forcing his students to find ways to adapt flexibly. That is the coaching style of the Korean coach: giving basic instructions, then letting his students "absorb" and think about how to apply them depending on the context of the match. Thanks to that, U.23 Vietnam is now rich in variability, where the creative space of the players is expanded.

U.23 Vietnam is ready in terms of physical strength, mentality and playing style to embark on the journey of conquest. With matches arranged in increasing difficulty, Van Khang and his teammates have the opportunity to play, adjust and adapt to get better every day.

Waiting for rain of goals

Lao youth football has improved over the past half decade. In 2022, Laos U.23 finished third at the Southeast Asian U.23 tournament. In the same year, Laos U.20 caused a shock when they won the Southeast Asian U.20 runner-up position (Vietnam U.20 of Van Khang, Van Truong, Quoc Viet, Dinh Bac only finished third). This is thanks to the change in the playing mindset of both the national team and the Lao youth levels, with tactics, discipline and dedication being emphasized, instead of the spontaneous and carefree playing as before.

However, limitations in stature and physical strength mean that Lao football is still far behind strong football teams such as Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. In the 1-1 draw with U.23 Cambodia, U.23 Laos played better thanks to the squad of players who participated in the 2024 AFF Cup such as Damoth Thongkhamsavath and Peter Phanthavong. However, missing many opportunities and hasty handling in the final phases of the game caused the team from the land of a million elephants to lose the unfortunate victory.

The fact that the opponent played the first match helped coach Kim Sang-sik study the video, thereby finding a strategy for U.23 Vietnam to win. The weaknesses in the second line of defense, against high balls, and 1-1 disputes of U.23 Laos were exposed. This was an opportunity for the sudden attackers with good penetrating ability such as Van Truong, Quoc Viet, Dinh Bac, and Le Viktor to demonstrate their abilities.

Most likely, coach Kim's students will control the ball, impose the game, while U.23 Laos will focus on defense and wait for opportunities. Against the young "concrete" block of Laos, U.23 Vietnam needs to be patient in passing, passing and finding space, making good use of decisive moves instead of being hasty. If playing at their best, U.23 Vietnam will win big.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-0-0-u23-lao-thang-dam-tran-ra-quan-185250719160658536.htm