U20 Vietnam started the 2027 AFC U20 Championship qualifiers with a defeat to U20 DPRK. Coach Yutaka Ikeuchi's team played quite tightly in the first half, but could not maintain stability and conceded 3 goals in the second half.
Assessing the performance of his students, coach Yutaka Ikeuchi said that U20 Vietnam had relatively well implemented the plan set out in the first 45 minutes.
In the first half, I think the whole team played according to the initial plan. We played a bit defensively and waited for counter-attack opportunities. Although we did not reach the final goal, in terms of defense, the players did relatively well," Mr. Yutaka Ikeuchi shared.
However, the game changed after the break. U20 Vietnam let U20 DPRK score 3 consecutive goals in a short period of time. According to coach Yutaka Ikeuchi, this is the time when the limitations in the playing experience of young players are clearly revealed.
The Japanese coach believes that continuously conceding goals made the players impatient, thereby pushing the squad higher and losing the balance that was maintained in the first half.
Conceding goals continuously has made the playing mentality become impatient, pushing up the attacking formation and losing balance," coach Yutaka Ikeuchi analyzed.
Besides psychological and experience issues, fitness also affects the ability to maintain the game of U20 Vietnam. However, coach Yutaka Ikeuchi affirmed that this is not the only reason. Lack of concentration in defense and personal mistakes also contributed to this result.
According to him, many U20 Vietnam players have not had many opportunities to play the full 90 minutes at the club. The lack of practical experience in high-intensity matches is a problem that needs to be improved.
Despite the defeat in the opening match, coach Yutaka Ikeuchi affirmed that U20 Vietnam's chances of going further are still there. The coaching staff will review the positive points and limitations after the match to prepare for the remaining two matches.
Of course, things are not over yet, so we will prepare very carefully for the next matches. The important thing at this time is to recognize and summarize what the whole team has done and has not done today," said Mr. Yutaka Ikeuchi.
Regarding the next two opponents, the U20 Vietnam coaching staff will continue to analyze U20 Iran and U20 Palestine to have appropriate preparation. The team must also calculate the force when Le Phat returns to the club to play in the V.League and cannot continue to accompany the team.
Before the cheers of a large number of fans at Viet Tri Stadium, coach Yutaka Ikeuchi expressed regret that U20 Vietnam could not achieve the desired result.
The tournament is not over yet. We still have opportunities ahead and will prepare well to aim for victory in the remaining two matches," Mr. Yutaka Ikeuchi emphasized.
