'U23 Vietnam is too strong'

Assistant coach Hasan Al Mamum commented that U23 Vietnam is too strong in group C. Photo: Tam Minh .

Bangladesh U23 entered the opening match of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers against Vietnam U23 without head coach Saiful Bari Titu on the bench due to a high fever. However, according to assistant Hasan Al Mamum, this absence was not the reason for the South Asian team's 0-2 defeat.

“The players’ duty is to play whether there is a head coach or not. The absence of a coach is not an excuse. We lost because U23 Vietnam was the strongest opponent in the group,” Mr. Hasan shared in the post-match press conference. The two goals of U23 Vietnam were scored by Ngoc My and Le Viktor, affirming the superiority in the game and class of coach Kim Sang-sik and his team.

The defeat put U23 Bangladesh in a difficult situation as there are two stronger opponents ahead, U23 Singapore and especially U23 Yemen. However, assistant Hasan is still optimistic: "We are calculating for each match and determined to get good results in the remaining two matches to compete for a ticket to the next round."

In the defeat, goalkeeper Srabon was a rare bright spot. With many excellent saves, he was voted the best player of the match, but still could not hide his disappointment: "We tried our best to stop the attacks, but U23 Vietnam is a strong team, playing together and effectively."

On September 6, U23 Bangladesh will face U23 Yemen at 4:00 p.m. This is expected to continue to be a big challenge for coach Saiful Bari Titu and his team in their ambition to win a ticket to the final round.

Source: https://znews.vn/u23-viet-nam-qua-manh-post1582293.html