U23 Vietnam is the only team to enter the semi-finals of the 2025 U23 Southeast Asian Championship with an absolute score. The ability to take advantage of situations from corner kicks in particular and high balls in general is a big plus in the 2 victories against U23 Laos and U23 Cambodia.
In addition, the formula of picking up the ball from the left wing and suddenly changing direction to the opposite side - once applied in the Vietnam national team - has been effectively applied by coach Kim Sang-sik to the U23 team.
The dynamism of Phi Hoang, Van Truong, Quoc Viet, Dinh Bac and the vision from Van Khang helped U23 Vietnam create notable opportunities to play in the opponent's half.
In addition, through the 2 group stage matches, coach Kim Sang-sik also discovered 2 new faces, which are right-back Vo Anh Quan and central midfielder Nguyen Cong Phuong. They created a surprise against U23 Cambodia in the second match of the group stage.
In parallel with the plus points, U23 Vietnam still has some limitations. The player's conversion of opportunities into goals is not good.
Statistics from the organizing committee show that Khuat Van Khang and his teammates have finished an average of more than 18 times in a match - the highest number among the 4 teams in the semi-finals - but the goal conversion rate is only 11.6%, the 3rd lowest in this group.
Viktor Le and Quoc Viet have not scored after 2 group stage matches, despite the fact that both have played quite enthusiastically. For Viktor Le alone, the pressure from fans' expectations caused this player to play quite tightly, lacking boldness and creativity in the face of the opponent's penalty area.
The match against U23 Philippines is an opportunity for U23 Vietnam to solve professional problems and win a ticket to the final.
Compared to U23 Indonesia, U23 Philippines is a lighter opponent. But Van Truong, Thai Son and their teammates are not necessarily subjective towards this team.
At the pre-match press conference, Mr. Kim highly appreciated the Philippines' ability to defend against the attack. This piece was shown very effectively in the 2-0 victory over U23 Malaysia in the first round of the group stage.
It should be added that although U23 Philippines is the team with the lowest average number of shots in a match among the 4 teams entering the semi-finals (9 times/match), they take advantage of the opportunity most effectively.
The proof is that the goal conversion rate of this team is up to 48%, which is 4 times higher than U23 Vietnam. This number is enough to make the "Golden Star Warriors" cautious in the face of dangerous situations for the opposing team.
As coach Kim Sang-sik assessed, U23 Philippines took advantage of the dribbles from Bisong (number 7). This player possesses rapid runs along with a series of shots with impressive speed and torque. In addition, the player wearing the number 20 shirt - Mariona also promises to attract the attention of the U23 Vietnam central defender trio.
A disadvantage for U23 Vietnam is that central defender Ly Duc is uncertain about playing. Maybe Mr. Kim Sang-sik will be forced to calculate a replacement, possibly center back Dang Tuan Phong.
Score prediction: U23 Vietnam 2-1 U23 Philippines
