U.23 Vietnam vs. Korea, Uzbekistan: Upgrading skills to win SEA Games

The friendly matches with U.23 Korea or U.23 Uzbekistan in November 2025 are all very valuable, helping U.23 Vietnam perfect itself for the goal of conquering SEA Games 33.

Interesting test of U.23 Vietnam

Vietnam U23 will participate in the 2025 international friendly tournament in China next month, when they will face Korea U23, Uzbekistan U23 and host Korea U23 from November 10 to 19.

This is a very important test for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team, as two important tournaments, SEA Games 33 and U.23 Asia 2026, are approaching.

U.23 Uzbekistan won the 2018 U.23 Asian Championship and finished second in 2022 and 2024, U.23 Korea won in 2020. U.23 China is also formidable, having prepared carefully for a successful tournament at home.

U.23 Vietnam (red shirt) prepares to face high-dose test drug - PHOTO: MINH TU

The competition with the strongest young teams in Asia is a rare opportunity for U.23 Vietnam. Because, although they have won all 7 matches, the "defeated soldiers" of Mr. Kim and his team are mainly mid-level teams such as U.23 Indonesia or U.23 Yemen. U.23 Vietnam needs to play with top-class teams to determine their own abilities and grow. The opportunity to meet Korea or Uzbekistan, even if it is just a friendly match, is very valuable on the journey of Quoc Viet and his teammates.

U.23 Korea is the team with the best physical strength and power in Asia, with a direct playing style, continuous physical contact. U.23 China also pursues a similar philosophy, although at a lower level. U.23 Uzbekistan is a team with an impressive technical and tactical foundation, when passing and controlling the ball smoothly, coordinating attacks at very high speed.

U.23 Vietnam has had good results at the Asian tournament, winning the runner-up position in 2018 and reaching the quarter-finals in 2022 and 2024. However, it should be recognized that Vietnamese youth football has lacked major victories since 2020 until now.

U.23 Vietnam only drew and lost to Korea, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia... The young players entered the quarterfinals mainly thanks to winning against weak teams like U.23 Malaysia or U.23 Kuwait.

That shows that U.23 Vietnam still has a big gap to fill against strong teams. Although at the SEA Games, Mr. Kim and his team will not meet Korea or Saudi Arabia, but after all, youth football must be a place where players find ways to overcome their own limits.

Players need to compete with strong opponents to improve - PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

Regional rivals are also improving day by day. Does anyone think that U.23 Indonesia will beat U.23 Korea, then proudly win a ticket to the semi-finals of the 2024 U.23 Asia Championship? Or U.23 Thailand with its tall and skilled Thai players, U.23 Malaysia continues to open the door to naturalization, will they stand still?

Upgrade gameplay

"Coach Kim Sang-sik reminded me of three factors that need to be improved in the U.23 Vietnam team: passing skills, team distance, and ensuring defensive structure," acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh shared.

That is also the problem that U.23 Vietnam needs to solve, although the problem will be amplified when Quoc Viet and his teammates meet faster and stronger opponents.

In the past 7 matches in the U.23 Southeast Asia tournament and the Asian qualifiers, although U.23 Vietnam attacked quickly and pressed well, they were not able to control the game with a coherent rhythm, or have many ideas to penetrate disciplined defenses (5/7 wins had a difference of 1 goal).

U.23 Vietnam needs to attack more sharply, cannot just wait for 'dead balls' - PHOTO: MINH TU

Improving the ability to pass the ball under pressure and building more attacking ideas is a must, when opponents already know the high and overlapping passes of U.23 Vietnam. In addition, distance and team discipline are priorities, but because the young players have only had 1 month of training with coach Kim, they still need time to train.

Defensively, despite having a clean sheet in the last 4 matches, U.23 Vietnam needs a bigger challenge to show their endurance. Coach Kim Sang-sik has finished shaping the defense. Now is the time to spread his students out into the "sea of ​​fire", to reveal their best qualities.

The opportunity to compete with top teams next month will help U.23 Vietnam rehearse their playing style, re-evaluate their tactical ability and adaptability to strong opponents, in order to adjust their philosophy accordingly. The stronger the opponent, the more U.23 Vietnam can learn.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-dau-han-quoc-uzbekistan-nang-cap-trinh-do-de-vo-dich-sea-games-185251030135530504.htm