The situation in Group A and C is very favorable for U22 Vietnam. The surprise victory of U22 Timor Leste over U22 Singapore helped host Thailand U22 open the door to the top of the group, while at the same time making the second-placed team in Group A only have a maximum of 3 points.
A similar story occurred in Group C. U22 Philippines soon secured a ticket to the semi-finals when they won both U22 Myanmar and U22 Indonesia. In the final round, U22 Myanmar and U22 Indonesia will meet to compete for second place in the group. Regardless of the result, one of the two teams will only have a maximum of 3 points.
Thus, U22 Vietnam and U22 Malaysia - the two representatives competing for the first and second prizes in Group B are having a huge advantage to continue together. This scenario happened when the two teams drew together.
At that time, with a better goal difference (+3 compared to +1), U22 Malaysia ranked first in Group B and U22 Vietnam ranked second in the group. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will qualify as the second team with the best results.
However, this will put U22 Vietnam at a disadvantage in the semi-finals, because Khuat Van Khang and his teammates will have to face the top team in Group A, most likely the host team U22 Thailand.
A more favorable scenario for U22 Vietnam is to defeat U22 Malaysia to qualify for the semi-finals as the top team in Group B. At that time, the competition situation for the second team in the group will become more attractive. U22 Malaysia will have to compete for the goal difference with the 2nd ranked teams in Group A and C.
