Favorable timing and location.

The U22 Vietnam team entered their second group stage match at the SEA Games 33 men's football tournament not in perfect shape, but they possessed a significant advantage thanks to the overall results of the participating teams. Despite an unconvincing performance against U22 Laos, the 2-1 victory still gave Coach Kim Sang Sik's team three crucial points, placing them temporarily in the group vying for a semi-final spot.

The more favorable situation lies in Group C, where the Philippines won both of their matches and secured their place early, meaning the remaining second-placed team only needs a maximum of 3 points. This means U22 Vietnam doesn't need to play a do-or-die match against U22 Malaysia; a draw would be enough for both teams to advance to the semi-finals.

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Vietnam U22 holds many advantages in the race to qualify for the semi-finals of the SEA Games 33.

Another advantage comes from the match schedule; Coach Kim Sang Sik's team has a longer rest period compared to U22 Malaysia, which is a significant advantage for U22 Vietnam. Therefore, although their performance may not be outstanding, the "favorable circumstances" are on the side of the South Korean coach and his team in the race at the SEA Games 33.

I only fear… air combat.

Even if Vietnam has the advantage in terms of overall play, the biggest concern for fans is the ability of the U22 Vietnam defense to defend against aerial balls, a weakness that has been evident from the U23 Southeast Asian Championship to the U23 Asian qualifiers.

The U22 Vietnam defense has not yet created a sense of security; the ability to cover, and the gaps between the right or left center-backs and the wing players are quite large, causing concern.

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However, defending against aerial balls is a significant problem for the Vietnam U22 team.

High balls into the penalty area have often given spectators a scare, due to the lack of certainty in spatial coordination, man-marking, and judging the ball's trajectory – issues that have been raised with the Vietnam U22 team in many recent matches and tournaments.

Even more worrying is that, looking at their victory against U22 Laos, U22 Malaysia also used a 3-center-back formation and were particularly dangerous with their quality crosses and the excellent jumping ability and positioning of their forwards.

That is the biggest concern against Malaysia – a team that is strong in physique, speed, and plays a direct style. Just a momentary lapse in concentration, and the Vietnam U22 team could pay the price from crosses or set pieces.

Despite having the advantage of more rest time and a positive mindset, coach Kim Sang Sik and his team must be extremely cautious when facing U22 Malaysia if they don't want to pay a heavy price, even though the door to the semi-finals is wide open.

Watch SEA Games 33, side by side with the Vietnamese Sports Delegation, most fully onFPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/u22-viet-nam-dau-u22-malaysia-can-than-voi-khong-chien-2471378.html