On the evening of August 15, in Thailand, the U23 Vietnam team had a closed friendly match with U23 Bahrain. This was an important practice match for coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team before entering the journey to defend the championship at the 2023 Southeast Asian U23 Championship.

The starting lineup of U23 Vietnam in the match against U23 Bahrain. Photo: VFF

Before U23 Bahrain just beat U23 Thailand 2-0 on August 12, U23 Vietnam opened the score in the 65th minute. Striker Quoc Viet ran down to receive a pass from Ngoc Thang, eliminated the opposing goalkeeper before putting the ball into an empty net.

Despite having the advantage of leading, U23 Vietnam could not protect the result. In the 88th minute, after a direct free kick outside the penalty area, the U23 Bahrain team equalized 1-1. In this match, the two teams agreed to organize a penalty shootout if the score was tied after 90 minutes to create more opportunities for young players to experience. On the 11m mark, U23 Vietnam lost 3-5 to U23 Bahrain.

A great play by Khuat Van Khang. Photo: VFF

According to the plan, on the morning of August 16, U23 Vietnam will travel to Rayong - the venue of the 2023 Southeast Asian U23 Championship. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team will have 3 days to complete the final preparations before entering the opening match against U23 Laos on the afternoon of August 20. The final match of Group C for U23 Vietnam is against U23 Philippines on the afternoon of August 22.

HOAI PHUONG

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