U22 Vietnam - U22 Laos 2-1: Only satisfied with 3 points

On the afternoon of December 3, the U22 Vietnam team barely won against U22 Laos 2-1 in the opening match of Group B of the men's football tournament of the 33rd SEA Games. A match in which, despite winning the maximum score, Coach Kim Sang Sik's team still left behind great worries.

Dinh Bac scored two goals in the victory of U22 Vietnam - Photo: NGUYEN KHOI

As predicted by experts, U22 Vietnam encountered many difficulties against a U22 Laos team that was progressing very quickly.

Coach Kim Sang Sik's team continued their usual shaky start to the game. Meanwhile, the U22 Laos players played deep and compact, blocking all routes into goalkeeper Kop Lokphathip's goal.

That, combined with the fact that the U22 Vietnam players were not really "warmed up" in the opening match, made it even more difficult for U22 Vietnam to attack and find goals.

U22 Vietnam had a difficult start to the match

Without Van Truong, coach Kim was forced to use the defensive-minded midfielder duo Xuan Bac - Thai Son. Therefore, U22 Vietnam focused their energy on flank attacks and long passes behind the U22 Laos defense. In fact, U22 Vietnam had some fairly open situations down the flank but showed a lack of precision in decisive passes.

And when everything became perfect, U22 Vietnam found the opening goal. In the 28th minute, from a move up the right wing, Minh Phuc got away very easily before crossing past goalkeeper Lokphathip for Dinh Bac to tap the ball into the empty net to open the score 1-0. This was truly a rare situation where U22 Vietnam coordinated everything properly and matched everything together.

With the goal to break the deadlock, it was thought that U22 Vietnam would open up an easy victory, but the opposite happened. In the 33rd minute, from a corner kick from the left wing by a teammate, the ball hit a Lao player and hit the crossbar. Douangvilay Khampane was there at the right time to tap the ball in from close range, equalizing 1-1 for U22 Laos.

This goal was really unlucky for U22 Vietnam but also because the central defenders did not mark the man tightly enough. This was because most of the U22 Vietnam defenders were focused on the ball, leaving Douangvilay Khampane in a very open position.

Having been tied, U22 Vietnam pressed forward to attack in search of a goal to increase the score. But when it came to attacking, the U22 Vietnam players revealed their inherent weaknesses: lack of decisive passes, hasty handling and careless finishing. But luck was on the side of U22 Vietnam when Dinh Bac continued to prove his worth as "Best Player of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Tournament".

U22 Vietnam still has many worries at SEA Games 33 - Photo: NGUYEN KHOI

Anxiety from mistakes

In the 61st minute, Dinh Bac handled the ball neatly outside the penalty area and then finished it into the net. Initially, the referee did not recognize it because he thought Quoc Viet was in an offside position and had participated in the ball situation. But after a few minutes of discussion, they changed their mind and gave U22 Vietnam a goal. It is not clear why the referee changed his decision in this situation even though there was no VAR, but it is clear that Dinh Bac's goal was supported by luck.

With the goal to increase the score, U22 Vietnam played down and created conditions for the opponent to rise up. In that context, the players in the back line continuously made mistakes, threatening Trung Kien's goal. Fortunately for U22 Vietnam, the Lao players were not good enough to punish their mistakes.

Another worrying victory for U22 Vietnam. But hopefully, like in previous tournaments, U22 Vietnam will gradually improve to overcome difficulties and achieve the best results. If not, coach Kim Sang Sik and his team will certainly find it difficult to think about the goal of winning the 33rd SEA Games gold medal.

Why did the referee change his decision?

Former head of the VFF refereeing board, Mr. Duong Van Hien, said: "The decision of the main referee is the final decision. The assistant referee is responsible for marking the position, and determining whether a player participates or affects the situation depends on the main referee's judgment."

Through slow-motion replay of this situation, Quoc Viet's position when jumping up seemed to be on the same straight line from Dinh Bac's position to the Kop goalkeeper. However, Mr. Duong Van Hien commented that the referee may have determined that the distance was still far enough that it did not affect the Lao goalkeeper's vision. That is the basis for changing the decision.

HOAI DU - Q. THINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/u22-viet-nam-u22-lao-2-1-chi-hai-long-voi-3-diem-20251204092359071.htm