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Vietnam U23 had a valuable test match against Syria. |
Entering the match, Coach Kim Sang Sik's team started confidently, proactively controlling possession and building their game from the back. U23 Syria, however, didn't rush forward, opting for a tight, physically demanding style of play and waiting for opportunities to counter-attack. For the first 30 minutes or so, both teams played a back-and-forth game, creating several notable chances, but none were sharp enough to make a difference.
The deadlock was only broken in the 40th minute. From a quick counter-attack, Mahmoud Mohanna took advantage of the space in the Vietnam U23 defense to finish neatly, opening the scoring for Syria U23. Shortly after, Vietnam U23 had a clear chance, but Le Van Thuan shot wide from close range, missing the opportunity to equalize.
In the second half, the Syrian U23 team continued to maintain their disciplined and effective style of play. In the 57th minute, Osman – a substitute – scored to make it 2-0 after a quick and precise combination. Immediately afterwards, coach Kim Sang Sik made a series of personnel changes, replacing 10 players to test the depth of the squad, keeping only Le Van Thuan on the field.
Vietnam U23's attacking efforts were finally rewarded in the 88th minute when Nguyen Le Phat scored to reduce the deficit to 1-2, rekindling a faint glimmer of hope in the final minutes. However, the remaining time was not enough to mount a comeback.
Despite the defeat, the match was still important for the Vietnam U23 team, providing the coaching staff with necessary technical data before finalizing the squad and entering the continental tournament.
Vietnam U23 will face Jordan U23 in the opening match of Group A of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship, taking place at 6:30 PM (Vietnam time) on January 6, 2026, at the King Abdullah Sports City Hall in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Source: https://znews.vn/u23-viet-nam-thua-syria-1-2-post1153690.html
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