'It's hard to describe how I feel…'

Before the departure, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) did not set a specific goal for the U.23 Vietnam team. However, coach Hoang Anh Tuan shared that he wanted the U.23 Vietnam team to demonstrate a cohesive style of play and reach the quarterfinals of the tournament. Against the U.23 Uzbekistan, Malaysia and Kuwait, the young players of the “Golden Star Warriors” also performed quite well, finishing second in the group to reach the round of 8 strongest teams.

Facing a strong opponent, U.23 Iraq, in the quarterfinals, Minh Khoa and his teammates played with great effort. However, luck did not smile on U.23 Vietnam and the team had to leave the tournament with a 0-1 defeat.

Về nước cùng U.23 Việt Nam, thủ môn Quan Văn Chuẩn: ‘Khó diễn tả cảm giác của tôi…’- Ảnh 1. — U.23 Vietnam had a pretty good journey at U.23 Asia

Looking back at the team's journey, head coach Hoang Anh Tuan shared: "I think that U.23 Vietnam stopped at the quarter-finals, which was appropriate for their ability and strength. In some specific matches, I have regrets. Each match from meeting Kuwait, Malaysia, Uzbekistan or Iraq brought a unique nuance, creating different emotions for fans.

In the first matches, the playing style of U.23 Vietnam was not perfect, with many mistakes and technical errors. We received unnecessary penalty cards. In addition, I am quite sorry about some decisions of the referee that led to the outcome of the match not as expected. However, I believe that the players have improved a lot. Before the quarter-final match with U.23 Iraq, I said that the team would show a different side. And indeed, that happened. The playing attitude, competitive spirit, playing style, and tactics were all well demonstrated. I saw the players play openly, beautifully and with determination, creating a high sense of team spirit and solidarity.

HLV Hoàng Anh Tuấn hài lòng với màn trình diễn của các cầu thủ — Coach Hoang Anh Tuan is satisfied with the performance of the players.

According to VFF, after completing immigration procedures at Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi), the players will be arranged to move to their hometowns or to their home clubs. Starting today (April 28), the Vietnamese football cycle will begin with the quarter-finals of the National Cup. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan also hopes that the U.23 Vietnam players will have more opportunities to compete.

He said: “Many people assume that a player who has played in the SEA Games and the Asian tournament will continue to perform well in the U.23 Asia. But that is only one side of the problem. That player has only played a few matches in international tournaments, in the national team jerseys. As for the story at the club, whether they get to play or not, we have not mentioned it. Will the U.23 Vietnam players get to play a lot when they return to their clubs? Once again, that is my concern. Indeed, it is not easy for the club to create conditions for all young players. So I told my students that they themselves must draw conclusions about what they have done, what their circumstances are, to improve themselves, and try to compete for a regular playing position at the club. Only then will the coaching staff of the teams trust them and give them conditions to play."

One of the outstanding players of U.23 Vietnam at the U.23 Asia is goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan. Although he was the player who committed the foul that led to U.23 Vietnam facing a penalty in the match against Iraq, it cannot be denied that Quan Van Chuan contributed greatly to the team reaching the quarterfinals. The captain of U.23 Vietnam also sent his thanks to the home fans: “The team's goal was to try to compete for a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics, but the result was not successful. I am very sad after the defeat in the quarterfinals. It is difficult to describe the situation leading to the penalty, it happened very quickly. This tournament is also the last tournament in the U.23 age group for me. It is difficult to describe the feeling right now".