U23 Vietnam enters the final after a comeback

Facing an opponent considered the "dark horse" of the tournament, coach Kim Sang-sik made some bold adjustments to the starting lineup, notably the decision to let Cong Phuong start from the beginning, while Viktor Le sat on the bench.

After the opening whistle, U23 Vietnam played with great enthusiasm, organizing many smooth attacks on both sides. In just the first 10 minutes of the match, the "Golden Star Warriors" made the Philippine goal wobble twice. Dinh Bac and Anh Quan's close-range efforts both made goalkeeper Nicholas Guimaraes miss, but the ball hit the left and right posts respectively.

U23 Vietnam faced many difficulties against opponents with good physique. Photo: Tam Minh.

U23 Vietnam attacked a lot but ineffectively, and paid the price with a goal after a mistake in defense. Starting from a situation where they could not control the opponent's strong throw-in, Hieu Minh let Mariona shoot 2 consecutive shots from close range, defeating Tran Trung Kien.

After conceding the goal, coach Kim Sang-sik's team pressed forward to attack and only needed 6 minutes to bring the semi-final match back to the starting line. From a cross from the left wing, Dinh Bac headed the ball into the post but was able to score the rebound against U23 Philippines. The young star from CAHN scored his second goal in two consecutive matches at the Southeast Asian tournament.

Before the first half ended, U23 Vietnam almost took the lead. Cong Phuong made a delicate pass for Dinh Bac to escape and face the goalkeeper. However, the number 7's shot went just wide of the post.

In the second half, U23 Vietnam started the game somewhat unsteadily due to the defenders continuously making bad passes at home. After about 10 minutes of being pressured, the red team organized an attack on the left wing and quickly scored the second goal following a familiar scenario in this year's tournament, which was from aerial battles.

After Cong Phuong's header hit the crossbar, it was Xuan Bac's turn to defeat the Guimaraes goalkeeper with an unstoppable header in the 54th minute.

Viktor Le played energetically after entering the field. Photo: Tam Minh.

The second goal helped U23 Vietnam completely dominate the game with 55% possession. On the other hand, the Philippines' poor physical condition prevented them from having a chance to rise up. In the 78th minute, the score almost increased to 3-1. Phi Hoang had an accurate cross from the left wing but in front of an open goal, Van Thuan sent the ball over the bar.

In the final minutes, U23 Philippines attacked in vain. All attempts to cross the ball from the two wings of the white team were ineffective. In the 90+5 minute, Quoc Viet put an end to the opponent's hopes of equalizing with a brave breakthrough, forcing Rosquillo to commit a foul and receive a red card.

The match ended with a 2-1 victory for U23 Vietnam. The "Golden Star Warriors" entered the final of the Southeast Asian tournament for the third consecutive time. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will face Thailand or Indonesia in the final match on July 29.