U23 Vietnam sleepy after practicing until midnight, preparing to compete at a strange time

On the evening of March 20 in Doha, U23 Vietnam continued to practice at the No. 3 training ground of Qatar University Stadium. In order to help the players get used to the match schedule before entering the Doha Cup international tournament, the training session started at 10:00 p.m. local time (2:00 a.m. March 21, Vietnam time) and lasted 2 hours. This means that the players finished training at midnight.

According to the coaching staff's calculations, for every hour difference, the players will need about 1 day to adapt. Although they had prepared in advance with late training sessions in Hanoi , to be in the best condition within 2 days is not an easy task, requiring the players to make great efforts.

At the 2023 Doha Cup, U23 Vietnam will have to play at a later time than usual. Coach Philippe Troussier and his team will play U23 Iraq at 10:45 p.m. (local time). This is a rare kick-off time in international tournaments. The Vietnamese teams have never played this late before.

U23 Vietnam sleepy after practicing until midnight, preparing to compete at a strange time - 1 — Goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan of U23 Vietnam. (Photo: VFF)

Goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan shared: “By the time the team went to the training ground, it was already 2am in Vietnam, so it was hard to avoid feeling sleepy. However, thanks to the support of the team of doctors through diet, rest as well as adjusting the training schedule to the new time zone, the players have also gotten into the rhythm quite well. The whole team and I are ready for the tournament. We will try our best, work hard to get good results.”

In addition, U23 Vietnam also had their first training session to get acquainted with the ball used in the Doha Cup 2023. Goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan said: “ The ball used in the international U23 Cup is faster, feels more realistic, but is also unpredictable because it moves erratically. It is impossible to judge whether this is beneficial or not because everything has two sides. The whole team will always have to try their best.”

According to the plan, at 11am on March 21 (ie 3pm Vietnam time), coach Philippe Troussier will attend a press conference before the tournament. Meanwhile, some members of the coaching staff will be assigned to attend a technical meeting.

That same evening, the team will have their final training session for the opening match against U23 Iraq, taking place at Al Gharafa Stadium at 10:45 p.m. on March 22 local time (ie 2:45 a.m. on March 23 Vietnam time).