The semi-final clash with U.16 Thailand is the biggest challenge for U.16 Vietnam since the beginning of the Southeast Asian tournament. Although coach Tran Minh Chien and his team convincingly topped Group B with 21 goals scored against U.16 Brunei, U.16 Myanmar and U.16 Cambodia, U.16 Thailand is always very formidable in youth tournaments.
Reality has proven that the young team from the land of the golden pagodas is a formidable opponent, when they entered the semi-final match with great enthusiasm at 3:00 p.m. today, July 1. Although both teams controlled the ball similarly, U.16 Thailand was the team with diverse attacks and better access to the goal in the first half.
U.16 Vietnam entered the match openly
In the 7th minute, goalkeeper Nguyen Van Thang Long had to show his talent, flying to save a dangerous header from a Thai U.16 player. Then, Vietnam U.16 responded, but after a familiar pass in the middle with his teammates, Viet Long was unable to successfully finish in the 22nd minute.
At the end of the first half, Thang Long's goal was again shaken when U.16 Thailand put pressure on. In the 42nd minute, the goalkeeper of U.16 Vietnam continued to show his talent when he blocked the opponent's long-range shot. Or in the 45th minute, Poramet Laoongdi took a very strong free kick, but the ball went wide of the goal.
The exciting match continued in the second half, as both teams wanted to end the match quickly, instead of playing it out until the penalty shootout.
With the adjustment at halftime, coach Tran Minh Chien made a difference for U.16 Vietnam. In the 50th minute, Nguyen Hong Quang entered the penalty area and fell after a collision. After listening to VAR, referee Du Jianxin reviewed the slow-motion replay and awarded U.16 Vietnam a penalty.
On the 11m mark, Dau Hong Phong decisively scored to open the match score in the 52nd minute.
U.16 Thailand attacks quite smoothly
However, U.16 Thailand only needed 1 minute to find the equalizer. In the 61st minute, goalkeeper Thang Long punched the ball out in a corner kick, but U.16 Vietnam did not cover the second line well, leaving space for Phuriphan Phothong to head the ball dangerously beyond Thang Long's reach, equalizing 1-1 for the team nicknamed "War Elephants".
The game continued at a high pace, but both teams lacked precision in decisive situations. In the 81st minute, receiving a skillful pass with the outside of his foot from his teammate, Thanh Binh escaped to the left edge of the penalty area and shot extremely hard, sending the ball across the U.16 Thailand goal. Then Thanh Binh headed the ball after a cross from Viet Long but failed.
Unfortunately for U.16 Vietnam, when they were in a good position, Coach Tran Minh Chien's students conceded a goal. In the 90+3 minute, receiving a very skillful pass from Siwakorn Ponsan, Chaiwat Ngoenma controlled the ball neatly and then quickly shot with his left foot, giving Thang Long goalkeeper no chance to block.
U.16 Vietnam played with great effort in the remaining 12 minutes of extra time, but could not equalize the score when U.16 Thailand pressed and maintained a reasonable formation distance.
Losing to U.16 Thailand, coach Tran Minh Chien and his team could not make it to the final of U.16 Southeast Asia. In the third place match, U.16 Vietnam will meet the losing team in the match between U.16 Indonesia and U.16 Australia.
Coach Tran Minh Chien apologizes to fans
Speaking after the semi-final match of the 2024 Southeast Asian U.16 Championship, Coach Tran Minh Chien expressed: “I would like to congratulate U.16 Thailand for having a match that was better than I thought. We give them respect. This is my fault because I did not play well. I apologize to the fans for this defeat.”
The head coach of Vietnam U.16 shared that the young players' mental preparation was not good because they had not played much before. "Most of them have only played a maximum of 6 matches in the U.17 national qualifying round, along with 3 friendly matches. Their experience in the field is not much. So the players entered the tournament with a somewhat tense mentality. That was their disadvantage. They were too worried about the match. That is also part of my responsibility."
When asked about his assessment of VAR when, according to an Indonesian reporter, it seemed that VAR did not intervene in the 1-1 equalizer of U.16 Thailand, causing a disadvantage for U.16 Vietnam, Coach Tran Minh Chien said: “That's football. We benefit from VAR and also lose from VAR. That's normal in football. I think the appearance of VAR helps the players get acquainted with the technology factor in competition early and the participation of VAR brings fairness.”
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u16-viet-nam-thua-u16-thai-lan-trong-ngay-var-xuat-hien-lo-giac-mo-chung-ket-185240701162321777.htm
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