While U23 Indonesia won a convincing 8-star victory over U23 Brunei, U23 Malaysia lost 2-0 to U23 Philippines. This result also made the situation in Group A more tense because the chance to enter the semi-finals was divided equally among 3 teams: host Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines.
Big challenge for U23 Vietnam
Equally dramatic, the first two matches of Group B and C were inconclusive encounters. Despite being considered the "underdog" team of Group C, U23 Timor Leste played resiliently, creating a spectacular chase and holding U23 Myanmar to a 4-4 draw.
Not only were the spectators satisfied with the rain of goals created by the two teams at Patriot Stadium on July 16, but they were also surprised by the performance of the U23 Timor Leste players. This team had more ball control and more shots on target than their opponents.
Vietnam U23 suffered a loss of troops before the Southeast Asian U23 Championship. Photo: VFF
On the same day, U23 Laos and U23 Cambodia also drew 1-1. Getting 1 point on the opening day is a temporarily acceptable result for the two teams in the same group with the defending champion U23 Vietnam. This also opens up a big challenge for coach Kim Sang-sik's team. U23 Vietnam must do their best to win all the group stage in order to enter the semi-finals as the top team in Group B, possibly avoiding facing host Indonesia in the knockout round.
U23 Vietnam lost its force
The 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship is considered a launching pad for future national team players. Therefore, young talents have been able to demonstrate their abilities and compete with the highest enthusiasm.
Coach Kim Sang-sik's team has had a long training period to prepare for this tournament. In addition to the goal of gaining experience, U23 Vietnam also has the task of defending the championship title.
The Korean strategist said: "Being crowned U23 Southeast Asian champion twice in a row is an achievement that puts pressure on U23 Vietnam in this tournament. The whole team always trains hard, practices tactics and ensures good physical strength. Every upcoming match is a final. I always set the highest goals and spirit to win every match."
U23 Vietnam brings to the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship a young, potential force. With the guidance of the coaching staff, the young players quickly learned, creating a tight-knit group. However, the enthusiasm in training also caused U23 Vietnam to lose strength before the opening match.
During the training session on the evening of July 16, after landing in the wrong position, striker Thanh Nhan suffered a serious injury. The examination results on July 17 showed that this player had damaged the ligaments in his left ankle and would not recover in time to participate in the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship.
Also due to injury, Thanh Nhan had to be absent from the 2023 Asian Cup Finals and could not compete in the bronze medal match at the 32nd SEA Games. Most recently, he lost his place in the 2024 U23 Asian Cup Finals.
To strengthen his squad, coach Kim Sang-sik recalled midfielder Le Van Thuan. This player, born in 2006, is one of the products of the Dong A Thanh Hoa training center.
In the 2024-2025 season, Van Thuan was promoted to the first team of the Thanh team. He scored 4 goals and made 2 assists after 16 appearances in the V-League, and was voted the best young player of the V-League last season.
According to Mr. Kim Sang-sik, Thailand and Indonesia are two strong teams, worthy opponents to compete for the championship with U23 Vietnam.
"U23 Thailand is a very strong team, the players have good individual skills. U23 Indonesia has impressive speed and physical strength. These are two formidable teams in this tournament" - Head coach of U23 Vietnam commented.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/giai-u23-dong-nam-a-2025-nhieu-bat-ngo-ngay-ra-quan-196250717194721351.htm
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