Overcoming pressure

Positive highlights

Before the qualifying rounds, the Vietnam U23 team faced considerable pressure as they were expected to continue the success of their predecessors and maintain their position in the region. Historically, the Vietnam U23 team has participated in the AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers five consecutive times from 2016 to 2024, most notably achieving the runner-up position in Changzhou (China) in 2018 with the generation of Quang Hai and Cong Phuong.

Because of this achievement, every time the Vietnam U23 team participates in a continental tournament, they receive immense attention from fans and experts. Along with this great attention comes considerable pressure. Everyone expects that Dinh Bac and his teammates will help Vietnamese youth football qualify for the U23 Asian Championship for the sixth consecutive time, especially since the team will be playing at home and has just won the Southeast Asian Championship.

And the performance against U23 Bangladesh somewhat showed that the U23 Vietnam players know how to overcome pressure. Although tension was clearly visible on the faces of the U23 Vietnam players in the early minutes of the match, with their composure and thorough preparation, Coach Kim Sang-sik's players quickly regained their rhythm, deployed a proactive playing style, and created many dangerous opportunities. Ngoc My's opening goal in the 15th minute not only relieved the pressure but also created a good momentum for the team to ultimately win.

Three points against a weaker opponent like the Bangladesh U23 team doesn't say much, but it does show some positive aspects. This victory was a harmonious combination of coach Kim Sang-sik's sound tactics and the explosive performance of promising young players. From the start, the 4-2-3-1 formation was clearly implemented, with the two central midfielders acting as the "brains" in controlling the tempo and distributing the ball.

This helps the team maintain tight spacing while creating more space for attacking midfielders to exploit. A commendable aspect is their ability to quickly transition between attacking and defensive phases. Whenever they win possession, the Vietnam U23 team immediately launches counter-attacks with quick, short passes, fully exploiting the speed of their wingers. This constantly puts the opposing defense under immense pressure.

Faced with a somewhat deadlocked game in the middle of the second half, coach Kim Sang-sik decided to make substitutions, bringing on Viktor Le, Van Khang, and Quoc Viet. This change helped the Vietnam U23 team play more effectively in attack, with Viktor Le scoring the goal that sealed the 2-0 victory. This demonstrates coach Kim Sang-sik's keen ability to read the game and the depth of the Vietnam U23 squad.

Improve finishing

Despite the victory, the Vietnam U23 team still revealed several weaknesses. Their finishing lacked accuracy, and many good opportunities were missed. With better finishing, the Vietnam U23 team could have ended the match with a higher score, as the ball hit the crossbar and post three times.

“We created many opportunities, but unfortunately, some shots hit the crossbar and post. In the second half, the opposing goalkeeper played excellently. The whole team will continue to adjust to better prepare for the next matches,” said coach Kim Sang-sik.

If Vietnam U23 wins against Bangladesh U23 by a larger margin, they will have an advantage in terms of goal difference compared to Yemen U23, their main rival in Group C. Vietnam U23's goal is to finish first in the group and secure a place in the finals. If they gain an advantage in goal difference, coach Kim Sang-sik's team will find it much easier to strategize for the decisive match between the two teams on September 9th.

But before thinking about U23 Yemen, U23 Vietnam needs to secure all three points against U23 Singapore on September 6th. In their opening match, U23 Singapore, despite being considered the underdog, caused many difficulties for U23 Yemen, only losing 1-2 (with both of U23 Singapore's goals coming from penalty kicks).

Therefore, despite being considered the stronger team, the Vietnam U23 team cannot afford to be complacent. Coach Kim Sang-sik shares this view, expressing caution regarding the opponents in Group C: “I have personally watched the teams play. The most important thing is physical fitness, because the hot weather greatly affects the players when they have to play for 90 minutes. The four teams are quite similar in skill level, so we must prepare thoroughly for each match.”

The task for the Vietnam U23 team is to secure three points against Singapore U23, ideally a resounding victory to achieve a better goal difference. This is certainly not an easy goal, requiring the players to be focused, determined, and perform even better than in their opening match. Most importantly, Dinh Bac and his teammates must continue to overcome the pressure to make further progress in their journey to qualify for the continental tournament next year.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/vuot-qua-ap-luc-166166.html