U23 Vietnam - Laos 3-0: Not satisfied

On the afternoon of July 19, U23 Vietnam had a smooth start at the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship taking place in Indonesia when they defeated U23 Laos 3-0 in the second match of Group B.

The joy of U23 Vietnam players after scoring against U23 Laos - Photo: ANH KHOA

This victory helped U23 Vietnam complete the goal of getting 3 points on the opening day. However, in terms of playing style, coach Kim Sang Sik and his team still could not make fans feel truly secure.

Undefined gameplay

After the opening whistle, U23 Vietnam overwhelmed U23 Laos in every aspect. This was predicted in advance because coach Kim Sang Sik's team had superior player quality compared to their opponents. At times, U23 Vietnam controlled the ball up to 90%, which is very rare in matches, especially at the youth level.

But U23 Vietnam could not fully take advantage of this advantage to create many scoring opportunities. Even the U23 Vietnam players seemed to be stuck in front of the opponent's crowded defense. Partly because the attacks of U23 Vietnam lacked sharpness, lacked suddenness and lacked accurate final passes. Another reason was that U23 Laos played "defensively" with nearly 10 players standing in front of goalkeeper Kop Lokphathip's goal.

In such a situation, U23 Vietnam could only take advantage of the opponent's careless moments to find a goal. Van Khang opened the score for U23 Vietnam in the 19th minute with a decisive left-footed shot in the penalty area. Meanwhile, Hieu Minh's two goals (minutes 71 and 84) came from set pieces from corner kicks.

It must also be said that in the second half, U23 Laos pushed their formation higher, making it easier for U23 Vietnam to play. The opponent also showed a decline in physical strength and lost concentration at key moments. All three goals of U23 Vietnam did not come from really smooth coordination. But when the coordination was beautiful, U23 Vietnam could not take advantage of it successfully.

U23 Vietnam still has many lessons to learn - Photo: ANH KHOA

Need to fix

Against the weak U23 Laos, it is not possible to fully assess the strength of U23 Vietnam. However, the young Vietnamese players revealed many concerns, especially the imbalance in attack.

U23 Vietnam played a lot on the left wing, where Van Khang and Dinh Bac were present. But when U23 Laos blocked the attacks on the left wing, U23 Vietnam seemed stuck and could not have a more effective attack plan.

Another problem of U23 Vietnam is that the players handle the ball too cumbersomely, easily losing the ball or passing opportunities to create breakthroughs. U23 Vietnam's midfielders make many bad passes even though they are not being surrounded too fiercely by the opponent.

It is worth noting that the situations where U23 Vietnam lost the ball occurred in dangerous areas. Fortunately, the quality of U23 Laos players was quite low, so they were not strong enough to create dangerous counter-attacks.

This is something that U23 Vietnam needs to overcome in the next matches. If the opponent is stronger, U23 Vietnam may have to pay a heavy price. However, fans can sympathize with U23 Vietnam because this is the first match of coach Kim Sang Sik and his team. U23 Vietnam still needs time to stabilize, adjust their playing style and mentality.

In the next match on July 22, U23 Vietnam will face Cambodia and need at least a draw to enter the semi-finals. In theory, this is a much weaker opponent and it will not be difficult for U23 Vietnam to complete the goal. But what Vietnamese fans are waiting for is that coach Kim Sang Sik will have more opportunities to experiment and correct the playing style of U23 Vietnam.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/u23-viet-nam-lao-3-0-chua-hai-long-20250720082039589.htm