Sharing at the press conference after the match on the evening of September 3rd, coach Yutaka Ikeuchi assessed that this was a showdown that U20 Vietnam was forced to win but did not achieve the goal. The Japanese coach especially regretted that his students could not convert opportunities into goals.
Having conceded the first goal is very regrettable. Although the whole team tried to find an equalizer, we did not take advantage of the opportunities we had and in the end suffered defeat," coach Yutaka Ikeuchi shared.
Assessing the opponent, the strategist of U20 Vietnam said that U20 Palestine is a very well-organized team at both ends of the field. The West Asian team not only defends tightly but also appears dangerous in attacking situations.
He frankly acknowledged: "Palestine defends well and attacks very effectively. This match U20 Vietnam was somewhat unlucky, while the defense also did not have the necessary certainty.
Despite being disappointed with the final result, coach Yutaka Ikeuchi still acknowledged the fighting spirit and overall performance of his players. He emphasized that, in general, this was still a relatively stable match and the whole team tried their best. However, the law of football is very harsh: if no goal is scored, receiving unfavorable results is inevitable.
Notably, this is the 2nd defeat of U20 Vietnam in the AFC U20 Championship Qualifiers (previously lost to U20 DPRK). Coach Yutaka Ikeuchi sent his thanks and sincere apologies to the fans.
After the defeat against U20 North Korea, I feel responsible for helping U20 Vietnam win this match. We didn't do it, so I really feel very guilty. I hope the fans will not turn their backs on the team and will still continue to come to the stadium crowded to cheer for U20 Vietnam in the next match," the captain confided.
The defeat against Palestine makes U20 Vietnam continue to face countless difficulties in the race to win tickets to the next round. The whole team will have to quickly regain their spirit and fix their limitations before entering the final match of the group stage.
