On the evening of December 21, players Hieu Minh, Thanh Nhan and Anh Quan were placed in the PVF-CAND squad in the match against The Cong Viettel at the Four Heroes friendly tournament, taking place in Thai Nguyen. Notably, Hieu Minh has just played the entire SEA Games final but still played with high intensity in the club's jersey.
U22 Vietnam returned home after a successful 33rd SEA Games campaign, concluding the tournament with a convincing gold medal. According to the plan, the team will gather again next week to prepare for the 2026 U23 Asian Cup finals. However, during this short break, many players still have to "run the show" with their home clubs.
On the opposite side, The Cong Viettel also owns SEA Games champions such as Khuat Van Khang and Nguyen Cong Phuong. However, coach Nguyen Van Bien did not use both from the beginning, prioritizing testing new forces when taking over from Mr. Velizar Popov in this tournament.
Previously, in the opening match of the Four Powerhouses Cup, Hoang Anh Gia Lai won a big 4-1 victory over Hanoi. In this match, goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien did not play, while Hanoi FC tested the squad with central defender Le Van Ha but it was not effective.
After the conclusion of the friendly matches, the faces of U22, U23 Vietnam will focus back on the national team to enter the preparation stage for the continental arena in 2026.
