problem of U23 Vietnam
Two victories over U23 Laos (3-0) and U23 Cambodia (2-1) helped U23 Vietnam initially complete the goal of passing the group stage of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship with the top spot in Group B. However, if we look at what Khuat Van Khang and his teammates have shown on the field, fans are not assured when the team enters the semi-finals.
It is easy to see that U23 Vietnam, despite controlling the game against opponents who were rated lower, had difficulty in converting opportunities into goals for Mr. Kim Sang-sik's students.
In the match against U23 Cambodia, U23 Vietnam had 23 shots but only 6 were on target and scored twice. Similarly in the win over Laos U23, the players created 20 shots, but only 8 were on target and 3 goals were scored - a number that was not commensurate with the overwhelming situation.
After the match with U23 Cambodia, former player Quang Long frankly pointed out that the U23 Vietnam players lacked decisiveness in key situations. Some situations need to be shot immediately but are handled thoroughly, or some situations are too hot to finish hastily instead of coordinating with teammates who are in a favorable position. The lack of consistency in the ball feeling at the end caused U23 Vietnam to miss many good opportunities.
What is more worrying is that the strikers have not shown their roles. Of the 5 goals in the group stage, only 1 was scored by a real striker, Dinh Bac; the remaining 4 goals came from the midfield and defense. The silence of strikers such as Quoc Viet, Ngoc My or somewhat Viktor Le made the attack of U23 Vietnam less sharp.
On a personal level, many U23 Vietnam players only play at an average level - quite well. Viktor Le has not shown much of an impression. Center back Nhat Minh, midfielder Xuan Bac and goalkeeper Trung Kien played well but were not too outstanding, rarely appearing in hot spots in the match.
Van Truong is still active and struggles to move but has not created any breakthrough situations. Meanwhile, Hieu Minh has slowed down a bit after his impressive performance against U23 Laos.
However, there are still bright spots in the squad. Khuat Van Khang continues to show his leadership role, both making the ball well and directly participating in dangerous situations. Ly Duc defended stably, especially his ability to judge and handle situations in the midfield area. Vo Anh Quan is also an interesting discovery with the ability to handle the ball well in a narrow range and support both defense and attack.
However, U23 Vietnam needs to improve their ability to take advantage of opportunities, especially increase the scoring efficiency of strikers.
U23 Philippines is not an easy opponent to play with
The semi-final opponent of U23 Vietnam is U23 Philippines - the second team with the best record with 6 points after 3 matches (2 wins, 1 loss). What the Philippines has shown shows that they are not a "border horse" of luck, but a team that competes scientifically, practically and knows people and knows us.
The U23 Philippines also committed the most fouls in the group stage with 39 times and 11 yellow cards. They are ready to play solid, hard, and not afraid to face any opponents like Malaysia, Indonesia or Brunei. That is the way this team maintains a balanced position in a situation where the game is out of control.
Tactically, this is the type of opponent that makes U23 Vietnam extremely cautious.
The Korean coach and his colleagues have to calculate carefully. Not only must U23 Vietnam prepare more effective attack plans, they need to stay alert and not get caught up in the opponent's lackluster andeptic playing style.
Defeating the U23 Philippines is the final goal that coach Kim Sang-sik and his team are aiming for to participate in the final match, before fighting to defend the 2025 U23 Southeast Asian Championship.
The 2025 U23 Southeast Asian Semi-final between Vietnam and the U23 Philippines will take place at 4:00 p.m. on July 25 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
