In the early morning of October 10, U23 Vietnam had its first friendly match against opponent U23 Qatar, within the framework of a training trip in Abu Dhabi (UAE). Despite playing on the same page and creating many opportunities, coach Dinh Hong Vinh and his team still suffered a 0-1 defeat.
Notably, U23 Vietnam does not have the strongest force in this training session. Many pillars who participated in the Southeast Asian U23 tournament and the 2024 U23 Asian qualifiers have been called up to the national team by coach Kim Sang-sik to compete in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
Due to being busy with the Vietnam national team, the Korean coach will not directly direct U23 Vietnam in this training session.
Under the interim leadership of coach Dinh Hong Vinh, U23 Vietnam mainly experimented with the squad, giving opportunities to young players, rookies and faces that rarely compete in official tournaments. This includes the appearance of two overseas Vietnamese players, Nguyen Vadim and Tran Thanh Trung.
Despite their efforts, Mr. Dinh Hong Vinh's students conceded a goal after a corner kick in the 75th minute, which was also the only goal of the match belonging to U23 Qatar.
"Although not satisfied with the results, the performance of U23 Vietnam has brought many positive signals about solidarity and competitive spirit," said the Vietnam Football Federation.
According to the plan, U23 Vietnam will continue to play the second friendly match with U23 Qatar at 10:00 p.m. on October 13. This is an important opportunity for the coaching staff to review the force, looking forward to the tournaments in 2025 and early 2026.
