The contrasting starts of the rookies: Some are happy, some are sad

The most excited HUTECH rookie

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH) is the only rookie to enjoy the joy of victory in the opening round of the final round of the 3rd Vietnam Youth Student Football Tournament - 2025 THACO Cup (TNSV THACO Cup 2025).

Entering the tournament with the desire to leave an impression, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the school's founding, coach Nguyen Quoc Nam and his team did not set a distant goal, but aimed to play each match with confidence, enjoying every happy moment.

Khởi đầu trái ngược của các tân binh: Người vui, người buồn- Ảnh 1. — The joy of complete victory of the HUTECT boys

It was the relaxed mentality and excitement of breathing the air of the TNSV THACO Cup finals for the first time that helped the players of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology soar in their 2-1 victory over Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry in the opening match of Group C, which took place on the evening of March 3.

Remember, Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry is not an easy opponent. Coach Ta Hong Ha's team defeated the defending champion Ho Chi Minh City University of Physical Education and Sports in the play-off match, creating the biggest shock in the Ho Chi Minh City qualifying round. However, facing the almost impenetrable counter-attacking defense wall of HUTECH, Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry had to... admit defeat.

The playing style of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology team is not at all sophisticated. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Nam's students have little possession of the ball, but counterattack very quickly and neatly thanks to one-touch passing and passing.

The extremely "strange" tactics helped Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology score twice against their opponents, not to mention the extremely good lightning-fast attacks, only lacking a bit of luck to score. With the sharp, technical strikers like Huu Binh and Minh Tri, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology did not need to control the ball to win the match.

Khởi đầu trái ngược của các tân binh: Người vui, người buồn- Ảnh 2. — Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (white shirt) defeated its opponent thanks to quality counterattacks.

Also with the style of knowing yourself and your opponent, Thanh Hoa University of Culture, Sports and Tourism (VH-TT-DL) drew 0-0 with Van Hien University on the opening day of the TNSV THACO Cup. The Thanh team played a tight defense in the first half, then unleashed their strength in the second half, making their opponents dizzy in the last 20 minutes.

Thanh Hoa University of Culture, Sports and Tourism has a multifaceted playing style: it can defend pragmatically, but when needed, it is ready to launch a stormy attack. However, the unstable finishing has made coach Nguyen Cong Thanh and his students regretful, when they missed the opportunity to defeat their opponents. However, a draw with an opponent who reached the quarterfinals last season is an acceptable result, creating motivation for Thanh Hoa University of Culture, Sports and Tourism to fly high.

The opportunity is still there.

There were some new recruits who did not get to enjoy the joy. Quy Nhon University lost 0-1 to Hue University in their first tournament, although the team played hard, causing the opponent to admit that "there was a period of time when they had to struggle to keep up with Quy Nhon players".

Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology - VNU-HCM lost 0-1 to Da Nang University of Physical Education and Sports. Although they had more players and created many opportunities, perhaps the confusion and impatience in their first time on the big stage made the representative of Ho Chi Minh City lack the sharpness to score.

As for Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, the 1-2 defeat against HUTECH forced the whole team to reconsider in order to prepare better.

Of course, losing the opening match does not mean stopping. Each group will take 2.5 places (first, second and 2 of the 3 third-placed teams with the best results) to the quarter-finals, which means there are still many opportunities for the rookies.

Let's lift our spirits, adjust our playing style and continue fighting for the hope of advancing. In the Vietnamese Youth Student Football playground, anything can happen.