U23 Việt Nam squad train ahead of the match against U23 Myanmar in Group I of the AFC U23 Championships 2022 qualifier today. — Photo courtesy of the VFF
Football
HÀ NỘI — The last match in Group I of the AFC U23 Championships 2022 qualifier between U23 Việt Nam and U23 Myanmar later today will decide who makes it through to the final round.
Both Việt Nam and Myanmar have the same points and the same goal difference. Both teams beat Chinese Taipei by a goal to nil. That makes this match the decider to determine first place in Group I and earn a slot to compete in the 2022 AFC U23 Championships.
In this match, Myanmar will be without coach Velizar Popov because he was given the red card against Chinese Taipei. Assistant Aung Aung Tun will lead the team.
If the match ends in a draw, a penalty shootout will be held to determine the winner of the group. The team that loses on the night will have to wait for the results of other games to see if they qualify with the four best second-placed teams.
Midfielder Nguyễn Hai Long said that the match is very important to the Vietnamese team and a large number of fans will be cheering them on. He said the squad are closing looking at the events of the last game for ways to improve their performance.
According to coach Park Hang-seo, watching the Myanmar players against Chinese Taipei was a valuable opportunity for Việt Nam to have the most accurate view of the quality of the squad as well as the opponent's playing style.
Việt Nam met Myanmar in the qualifying round of the AFC U23 Championships 2013 in which Việt Nam lost to 1-3. However, in the recent meet, Việt Nam beat Myanmar 2-0.
In order to have the best preparation for the key match against Myanmar, Vietnamese players trained hard in terms of physical exercises and tactics.
The match between Việt Nam and Myanmar will take place at Dolen Omurzakov Stadium in Kyrgyzstan at 5pm (Hà Nội time) today. VNS
OVietnam