Nguyen Thanh Binh (No. 5 - U23 Vietnam) tries to dribble past a U23 Maliasia player.
The Vietnam U23 team entered the match against Malaysia U23 in the second round of Group D with the advantage of 3 points after a favorable start with a 3-1 victory over Kuwait U23 on the opening day. Meanwhile, Malaysia U23 could not create a surprise after a 0-2 defeat to the reigning runner-up U23 Uzbekistan.
U23 Malaysia has been a familiar opponent of U23 Vietnam for many years and the Vietnamese players have always had an overwhelming advantage. In the previous 5 meetings, U23 Vietnam has won all "Malay Tigers", most recently a 4-1 victory in the semi-finals of the 2023 Southeast Asian U23 tournament.
Due to the loss of defender Ngoc Thang (due to a red card) and striker Dinh Bac (due to a serious injury), coach Hoang Anh Tuan's players had to adjust their playing style. U23 Vietnam chose to enter the game cautiously and were somewhat inferior to U23 Malaysia in the first 15 minutes of the match. U23 Malaysia pushed up their formation, actively playing offensively, while U23 Vietnam played slowly to ensure stability. It was not until the 18th minute that U23 Vietnam had their first chance. From an attack on the left wing, Khuat Van Khang crossed the ball into the penalty area for Minh Khoa to head in beautifully. Unfortunately, the U23 Vietnam player's aerial attack was brilliantly blocked by goalkeeper Azim Al Amin.
The two teams continued to play tit for tat and had opportunities but could not convert them into goals. Strikers Tierney and Akmal of U23 Malaysia made Vietnamese fans' hearts skip a beat many times. However, in the 39th minute, Van Khang unexpectedly opened the score with a classy free kick. From the free kick awarded by Nguyen Hoang, Van Khang curled the ball from about 25 meters to the right, the ball curled into the top left corner of the goal, leaving goalkeeper Bin Kamaruddin unable to block it.
The joy of U23 Vietnam players after Khuat Van Khang (18) scored a super goal against U23 Malaysia.
Towards the end of the first half, the two teams played very fiercely with many fouls. The referee had to repeatedly show yellow cards to players from both teams. U23 Malaysia continuously attacked, causing Van Chuan's goal to constantly shake. The ball touched the hands of Vietnamese players twice in the penalty area, fortunately the Iranian referee made a decisive and accurate decision not to award U23 Malaysia a penalty. In the final phase of the first half, Tierney showed good pressure when he jumped high to head the ball from about 5m away, the ball went over the bar.
The first half had 6 yellow cards divided equally between the two teams. Malaysia had more dangerous situations, but the only goal belonged to U23 Vietnam.
In the second half, U23 Malaysia continued to push up their formation to find a goal, which also helped U23 Vietnam have more space to counterattack. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan made a wise decision when he put striker Vi Hao and defender Hong Phuc on the field. Vi Hao's agility and ability to create breakthroughs brought many opportunities for the U23 Vietnam team.
Bui Vi Hao's (11) dribble brought a penalty leading to the second goal for U23 Vietnam .
In the counter-attack in the 58th minute, Vi Hao stole the ball and passed it to Van Truong in the middle. Van Truong passed the ball to Vi Hao down the left side of the penalty area, but he was pushed down from behind by center back Ubaidullah. The Iranian referee immediately awarded a penalty to Vietnam. Minh Khoa did not miss the opportunity to double the gap for U23 Vietnam with an accurate penalty kick.
Leading 2-0, U23 Vietnam proactively retreated to cover each other on the home field and slowed down to preserve the advantage. Duc Phu, Duc Viet and Minh Quang were also sent onto the field to strengthen the defense. Goalkeeper Van Chuan had an excellent day when he neutralized many dangerous shots from U23 Malaysia strikers. U23 Malaysia focused on attacking, giving U23 Vietnam many counter-attack opportunities in the final minutes and almost increased the score when Vi Hao's shot went wide.
The joy of coach Hoang Anh Tuan.
With 2 wins, the U23 Vietnam players have earned 6 points and have a great chance to enter the quarterfinals soon. In the last match of the group stage, U23 Vietnam will meet U23 Uzbekistan on April 23. This match will likely decide the first and second positions of Group D.
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