U23 Vietnam easily defeated U23 Laos: Hiding cards or lacking enthusiasm?

U23 Vietnam completed the goal of getting 3 points against U23 Laos in the opening match of U23 Southeast Asia, but behind the victory there are still worries and concerns...

1. U23 Vietnam had an easy start to the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament when they won 3-0 against U23 Laos at Patriott Stadium (Indonesia).

Although the score was not as big as in previous matches, the game was different. For most of the time, coach Kim Sang Sik's team only played in half the field, completely controlling the game.

Looking at the results, Coach Kim Sang Sik and his students have excellently completed the assigned tasks. A smooth start, without any unfortunate missteps.

U23 Vietnam had an easy victory over U23 Laos. Photo: Huu Ha

2. However, if we analyze the 90 minutes on the field carefully, those who are picky have the right to be unsatisfied. The score of 3-0 is even somewhat modest and does not truly reflect the absolute dominance that U23 Vietnam has created.

Coach Kim Sang Sik's students controlled the ball well, continuously besieged the goal and forced U23 Laos into a difficult defense, but the number of opportunities and real shots created was quite small.

It can be explained that U23 Laos "brought a bus" to park in front of the goal, but the biggest problem still comes from U23 Vietnam when there is no significant change from the tactical aspects to the people on the field.

And this is also the reason why the 3 goals that U23 Vietnam scored were due to mistakes by the U23 Laos defense or came from set pieces.

3. Maybe this is the first match and coach Kim Sang Sik wants to "hide his cards" and save the best tactical moves for more important matches later.

But looking closely, it seems that U23 Vietnam is having many problems. Photo: Huu Ha

However, even accepting that hypothesis, it is still impossible to hide the shortcomings of U23 Vietnam in the opening match against U23 Laos.

The understanding and cohesion between positions, especially between lines, have not yet reached a level of smoothness, so this is no longer a story of "hiding cards" or not giving it all.

It is important to remember that more than half of the U23 Vietnam team on the field have played together not just once but for many years, from the younger teams until now, so understanding is a must instead of the erratic behavior as seen.

Obviously, U23 Vietnam still has a lot of work to do, many details need to be adjusted so that the attacking machine can operate more smoothly and be more fearsome when facing real challenges.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/u23-viet-nam-thang-nhe-u23-lao-giau-bai-hay-thieu-nhiet-2423626.html