Average performance
U23 Vietnam completed the goal of winning against U23 Cambodia in the final match of the group stage to win a ticket to the semi-finals of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship. According to the division of the competition, Khuat Van Khang and his teammates will face U23 Philippines in the next round.
As coach Kim Sang-sik shared in the post-match press conference, compared to having to face host U23 Indonesia, meeting U23 Philippines in the semi-finals is clearly much "easier".
However, the performance of U23 Vietnam against U23 Cambodia was still not really convincing. Not to mention the tactical factor, many individuals competed only at the level of rote, including Viktor Le.
The overseas Vietnamese midfielder has not left any significant mark in his 66 minutes on the field. His touches were not sudden, his movement and positioning were ineffective. This makes it difficult for surrounding satellites such as Quoc Viet, Van Khang or Van Truong to coordinate with Viktor Le in situations of penetrating the penalty area.
In addition to Viktor Le, some other players also play at an average level such as center back Nhat Minh, midfielder Xuan Bac and goalkeeper Trung Kien.
In fact, the goalkeeper of Hoang Anh Gia Lai only had an excellent save in the 7th minute. However, he was also mentioned in the situation where he could not block the dangerous close-range header of a Cambodian player in the second half.
Meanwhile, Nhat Minh and Xuan Bac also only played well, rarely participating in the hot spots of the match.
Efforts but not yet explosive
The group of players with average performances - quite good including Phi Hoang, Hieu Minh and Van Truong.
Similar to the previous 3-0 win over U23 Laos, Phi Hoang still struggled to move along the left corridor to coordinate with his teammates. However, he had a dangerous loss at the beginning of the match, almost causing U23 Vietnam to concede a goal.
In midfield, Van Truong continued to play aggressively. In addition to the role of ball coordinator, he actively moves to coordinate. However, what Mr. Kim Sang-sik needs is that the breakthrough passes in the penalty area have not been shown by this player.
In defense, Hieu Minh played quite firmly in short-distance coordination situations, trying to escape pressing from the opponent. However, compared to the previous match when he scored a double against Laos U23, Hieu Minh's performance this time was only moderate.
Unexpected name
In the group of players who were rated "8 points" after the match, Van Khang was the most outstanding. He played a key role in the attacks of U23 Vietnam.
In addition to the assist for Ly Duc to open the score, the player from Phuc Tho also left his mark with the ability to jump and head the ball towards the goal. This could be a hit that coach Kim Sang-sik will exploit more in the semi-finals.
Center back Ly Duc also brought security. Not only did the Hoang Anh Gia Lai player score, he also completed his defensive tasks well and launched an attack from the back.
Although the Quoc Viet striker did not score, he still had a quite impressive match. He actively moved, putting pressure on the opponent's defense and making many passes to create opportunities for Van Khang and Xuan Bac.
Another name that created a highlight was Vo Anh Quan - a rookie of U23 Vietnam. He impressed with his ability to handle the ball in a narrow range, while effectively supporting both the defensive and attack fronts. Notably, Anh Quan almost scored from a close-range shot after entering the penalty area.
In the group of players entering the field from the bench, the trio Dinh Bac, Cong Phuong and Thanh Dat coordinated to create a goal to seal the score at 2-1. Cong Phuong dribbled past two Cambodian players before passing to Thanh Dat, who hung the ball accurately into the penalty area for Dinh Bac to jump high to head the ball to score.
In addition to this goal, Dinh Bac also had a number of clever ball handling situations, causing discomfort to the opponent's defense - a performance that deserved to be highly appreciated.
