Defeating U23 Philippines, U23 Vietnam enters the semi-finals of the U23 Southeast Asian tournament

U23 Vietnam entered the second match of the group stage of the 2023 Southeast Asian U23 Championship against U23 Philippines with a relaxed mentality. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team only need a draw to secure the top spot in the group and a ticket to the next round. In fact, fans still expect the players to have a more impressive victory than the way U23 Vietnam defeated U23 Laos.

Goal by Huu Tuan.

U23 Philippines understood that they needed to focus on defense and they proactively retreated deep right after the opening whistle. However, their defense could not hold out for long. In the 18th minute, Dang Duong overcame an opposing defender and passed the ball smoothly for Huu Tuan to accurately finish and open the score.

This goal did not help U23 Vietnam play more smoothly. The players in red shirts often did not coordinate well despite controlling the game on the field. At the end of the first half, Long Vu and Dang Duong had a chance near the penalty area but this talented young duo did not handle the ball well. On the other side of the front line, U23 Philippines defended well but their attack was too weak.

The chances for this team mainly came from Quan Van Chuan's moment of distraction. The Hanoi FC goalkeeper had two uncertain catches but Martin and Dennis Chung both shot high into the sky.

Entering the second half, U23 Vietnam still had the most possession time. However, coach Hoang Anh Tuan's players could only coordinate in areas far from the opponent's goal. In the 47th minute, Quan Van Chuan did not get in and out well, the ball reached Martin's feet but this striker missed a shot from just over 7 meters away.

Overall, the second half was slow. U23 Vietnam did not attack too aggressively while U23 Philippines mainly waited for counter-attacks. Xuan Tien had 2 dangerous shots in the penalty area but SLNA players missed both. In the end, U23 Vietnam won 1-0 against U23 Philippines and entered the semi-final match against U23 Malaysia.

Result: U23 Vietnam 1-0 U23 Philippines

Score:

U23 Vietnam: Huu Tuan (18')

Line-up:

U23 Vietnam: Van Chuan, Nguyen Hoang, Ngoc Thang, Nam Hai, Duc Viet, Xuan Tien, Long Vu, Dang Duong, Minh Khoa, Huu Tuan, Hong Phuc.

U23 Philippines: Dimitrios Mcapagal (13), John Lucero (2), Kamil Amirul (4), Jacob Pena (6), Dennis Chung (7), Jacob Maniti (8), Selwyn Mamon (9), Yrick Gallantes (11), Kart Talaroc (17), Martin Merno (19), Karl Absalon (23).

Mai Phuong

Source