Vietnam U22 vs Malaysia U22: Semifinal ticket within reach

At 4 PM on December 11th, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team played their final group stage match in the men's football tournament at the 33rd SEA Games.

The standings in the group before kick-off.

While U22 Malaysia only needed a draw to secure first place, U22 Vietnam had to win if they wanted to control their own destiny. Coach Kim emphasized that the team spirit would be key: “I told the players that this is no longer an ordinary group stage match. We have to treat it as a life-or-death game. Winning is a mandatory task.”

In the men's football group stage, only the top three teams from each group advance directly to the semi-finals. The second-placed teams will compete against each other to determine the final four finalists.

Even if they can't beat Malaysia, the Vietnam U22 team still has many advantages among the second-placed teams. With just one more point, Dinh Bac and his teammates will put an end to any hopes of advancing for the Indonesia and Timor Leste U22 teams.

Assessing their opponents, Kim Sang-sik noted that the U22 Malaysia team plays aggressively, focusing on speed and tackling. However, the U22 Vietnam team has carefully studied this style of play after the coaching staff directly observed their matches.

“Malaysia is physically strong and has a sharp attacking style. But the Vietnam U22 team is well-prepared, both tactically and physically. Technical meetings show that the team is capable of controlling the match,” said the South Korean coach.

Source: https://znews.vn/u22-viet-nam-vs-malaysia-ve-ban-ket-trong-tam-tay-post1610309.html