The Vietnam U22 team showed their mettle in the 'Final' match of the group stage against Thailand U22. (Photo: Hai An/Vietnam+)
In the final round of Group B, despite playing with great determination and creating a good game, the U22 Vietnam team could only get a 1-1 draw against U22 Thailand.
This result means that although U22 Vietnam has the same 10 points as the "War Elephants" after 4 matches, they are only ranked second in the group due to a lower goal difference than their opponents (+5 compared to +7). Therefore, U22 Vietnam will face U22 Indonesia (first in Group A) in the Semi-final of SEA Games 32, taking place at 4:00 p.m. on May 13 (Hanoi time).
Waiting for Mr. Troussier to solve the "Indonesian equation"?
Indonesia will enter the Semi-final match with a high level of determination, because in the last 5 SEA Games against the "Golden Dragon Army", they only knew how to draw and lose.
Specifically, Indonesia's "nightmare" began with the Bronze medal match at the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore - where the "Team of the Thousand Islands" was crushed by coach Toshiya Miura's team with a score of 5-0. At the 2017 SEA Games held in Malaysia, the two teams drew 0-0 in the group stage. In 2019, Indonesia lost both times against Vietnam, with a score of 1-2 in the group stage and 0-3 in the final match. At the 31st SEA Games, Vietnam defeated Indonesia with a score of 3-0 in Viet Tri (Phu Tho).
It can be said that Indonesia's "Golden dream" in the most recent SEA Games - always turns into a "nightmare" every time it faces the Vietnamese team.
However, at SEA Games 32, U22 Indonesia is dreaming of an overthrow with the convincing performance shown through 4 matches in the group stage: Winning all 4 matches, scoring 13 goals and only conceding 1 goal.
Speaking after the match with U22 Thailand, coach Troussier showed respect for his opponent in the semi-finals: "We have learned a little about U22 Indonesia. This generation has been heavily invested in by Indonesia for the past 3 years to prepare for the U20 World Cup. Some are playing abroad, the rest are regularly playing at the highest level of the national championship."
Entering the semi-finals with impressive form, however, according to expert Vu Manh Hai, the true strength of U22 Indonesia can only be proven through the confrontation with the U22 Vietnam team.
"Being in a favorable group with Myanmar, Cambodia, Timor Leste and the Philippines helped U22 Indonesia easily win the top spot. It cannot be denied that Indonesia has introduced a promising generation of players at this year's SEA Games, however, in top-level football, not being able to compete with opponents of equal level will make it difficult for the team to determine the right peak of form. This could be Indonesia's weakness in the semi-final match."
"On the contrary, U22 Vietnam showed maturity and progress through each match at SEA Games 32, with opponents of increasing difficulty: from Laos, Singapore, Malaysia to championship candidate Thailand. This not only helps the team's ball control play become more fluent, but also creates an opportunity for coach Troussier to correctly assess the depth of the team, thereby making appropriate tactical calculations for each moment of the match," said expert Vu Manh Hai.
The advantage belongs to the team... sober
The U22 Indonesia squad has many players with speed, technique, and good one-on-one combat skills such as Marselino, Sananta, Rahman, Witan Sulaeman, Pratama Arhan... In addition, coach Indra Sjafri is also a follower of the pragmatic school. The contrast with coach Troussier's style promises to create a tense and heated match "from the inside out."
On the way to the semi-finals of the 32nd SEA Games, the Indonesians showed that they are not only strong in one-on-one battles but also no pushovers in petty arguments and scuffles with the opposing team. Typically, in the match against Cambodia, after Indonesian goalkeeper Adi Satryo fouled midfielder Lim Pisoth, leading to a penalty, midfielder Komang Teguh had some "words" with the home team players.
Fearing that the heat of the semi-final could "swallow" his teammates, U22 Indonesia captain Rizky Ridho warned: "The match is likely to be very intense, players from both sides may try to provoke emotions and cause controversy. I hope the whole team can control that well."
Keeping a "cool head" in a tense semi-final match is also the opinion of football expert Phan Anh Tu when asked about the task of Troussier and his team in this match.
"In the match against U22 Thailand, our team showed progress, not only in playing style but also in determination and spirit of overcoming difficulties. However, we need to recognize the reality that the 'Final' in the group stage is a match without the pressure of winning or losing, so the two teams can comfortably demonstrate their attacking moves."
"With the tense nature of a semi-final, the possibility of clashes between 'hot heads' is entirely possible. In my opinion, relieving the psychology of the young players, so that the whole team is not tense, will decide the success or failure of this match," said the former General Secretary of the Vietnam Football Federation. "In this match, the young players of Vietnam need to keep a cool head, avoid getting into arguments, reacting to the opponent and receiving unnecessary cards, leading to the risk of ruining the plan set out by the whole team."
It can be said that U22 Indonesia is a difficult obstacle on the journey to successfully defend the Gold Medal at the SEA Games of the U22 Vietnam Team. However, with the professional quality and brave fighting spirit shown throughout the group stage journey at the 32nd SEA Games, coach Troussier and his team are capable of "overcoming the hurdle" to advance to the final match./.
Viet Anh/vietnamplus.vn
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