SGGPO
The organizers of the 19th Asian Games men's football event ranked Mongolia Olympic in the fourth seed group when drawing lots for the group. However, that does not mean that the representative from East Asia is the weakest in Group B, the group that also includes Vietnam Olympic.
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| Mongolia U23 left their mark in the 2024 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers. PHOTO: MFF |
Mongolian Olympic team will be the opponent of coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team in the opening match of ASIAD 19 at 3:00 p.m. on September 19. Before ASIAD 19, most of the Mongolian Olympic team will be "tested" in the qualifying round of the 2024 Asian U23 Championship. Their performance in this tournament is the information for coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team to collect, before researching and planning to prepare for the match between the two teams.
In the group with the presence of host U23 Saudi Arabia, U23 Cambodia and U23 Lebanon, the team led by coach Ichiro Otsuka (Japanese) although at the bottom of the group, with only 1 point, caused a lot of difficulties for the opponents.
In the opening match against U23 Saudi Arabia, U23 Mongolia led the home team until the 87th minute before being equalized 1-1, before losing 2 more goals in 14 minutes of extra time in the second half due to physical weakness and lack of technical skills.
In the match against U23 Cambodia, despite being 2 goals behind after the first half, Coach Otsuka's players played with a spirit that would not easily give up. They equalized 1-2 in the 54th minute, and caused concern for the Southeast Asian representative in the remaining time, including Chan Sarapich receiving a red card. In the last match against U23 Lebanon, U23 Mongolia took the lead, then ended the match with a 1-1 draw.
In the three matches of the 2024 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers, coach Otsuka used the striker pair Temuulen Uuganbat and Sodmunkh Ankhbayar, but the three goals of Mongolia U23 came from the defender and midfielder positions. There were two goals scored from the penalty spot, scored by midfielder Tsogtbayar Batbayar (against Saudi Arabia U23) and defender Andersen Filip Chinzorig (against Lebanon U23). This proves that Mongolia U23 knows how to make the opponent's defense make mistakes in the penalty area.
Meanwhile, the goal against U23 Cambodia came from a free kick on the left wing, and was finished by defender Bat-Orgil Gerelt-Od with a header.
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Filip Andersen (No. 5) and Tsogtbayar Batbayar (No. 17) are two Mongolian U23 players playing football abroad. PHOTO: MFF |
Most of the Mongolia U23 players come from Ulaanbaatar, Deren and Falcons - the top 3 in the 2022-23 Mongolian Premier League. But there are 3 faces to pay attention to. Specifically, Filip Andersen and Tsogtbayar Batbayar are playing abroad for Slavia Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic) and SU Rebenland Leutschach (Austria), respectively. Meanwhile, Bat-Orgil Gerelt-Od has been in the national team since 2021, and is playing for the domestic champion team Ulaanbaatar.
Although the defense of U23 Mongolia is not highly rated, evidenced by the 6 goals conceded in the qualifying round of the 2024 U23 Asian Cup. However, through the matches in Saudi Arabia, the Mongolian Olympic players have accumulated a lot of experience, to have the best luggage towards ASIAD 19. The representative of East Asia does not put the issue of achievements, and this comfort is promised to create a surprise for the Vietnam Olympic team.
This is the first Asian Games that Mongolia has participated in since the Asian Games men's football tournament was limited to 23-year-old players in 2002. The country's football is currently ranked 183rd in the FIFA rankings, 88 places lower than Vietnam.
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