U22 Vietnam lost narrowly to a strong team from Central Asia

(NLDO) - Conceding an early goal and missing too many opportunities caused U22 Vietnam to lose 0-1 when competing with U23 Uzbekistan at the Panda Cup 2025 on the afternoon of November 15.

Playing hard and creating many opportunities in the second half but unable to convert them into goals, U22 Vietnam suffered a narrow 0-1 defeat against U23 Uzbekistan in the second match of the CFA Team China - Panda Cup 2025 international friendly tournament, taking place in Chengdu (Sichuan, China).

With the main goal of testing and evaluating the team's strength for the 33rd SEA Games and the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, U22 Vietnam made many adjustments to the starting lineup. Five new names were given the opportunity to start, including goalkeeper Trung Kien, defender Minh Phuc, midfielder Quoc Cuong and the attacking trio Dinh Bac - Viktor Le - Van Thuan.

After the defeat in the opening day of the tournament, Uzbekistan entered the match with determination, raising the attack from the beginning in order to win against U22 Vietnam. After only four minutes, from a cross from the right side of Karimov Behruzion, Saidkhon rushed in to finish close to the goal, opening the score for the Central Asian team.

With a solid physical foundation and good individual technique, the young Uzbekistan players demonstrated the ability to control the ball firmly, compete strongly and continuously put pressure on coach Dinh Hong Vinh's team.

But with perseverance and not giving up, U22 Vietnam quickly tightened the formation and re-established a balanced game. Opportunities to find an equalizer for U22 Vietnam continuously appeared throughout the first half, but the shots of coach Dinh Hong Vinh's students could not overcome the opponent's defense.

In the second half, U22 Vietnam made changes in personnel and continued to push up the squad to put pressure, creating many sharp attacks but still had trouble penetrating the U23 Uzbekistan goal.

The defeat against Uzbekistan shows that the young Vietnamese strikers' finishing ability is not high. Coach Dinh Hong Vinh and his team need to quickly improve their scoring efficiency before entering the final match of Panda Cup 2025, facing U23 Korea.

U22 Vietnam will have one more day of training before entering the final match, taking place at 2:30 p.m. on November 18. Continuously competing with the continent's top teams is an opportunity for U22 Vietnam to continue to perfect their playing style, accumulate experience and prepare best for the upcoming important tournaments.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/u22-viet-nam-thua-sat-nut-doi-bong-manh-vung-trung-a-196251115173331946.htm