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Analysis of the match between Saudi Arabia U23 and Vietnam U23
U23 Saudi Arabia suffered a shocking 2-3 defeat against U23 Jordan, a result that puts them at risk of an early exit from the tournament and makes Group A extremely unpredictable. In this situation, the host team must secure all three points against U23 Vietnam to keep their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive. However, this is clearly not an easy task for U23 Saudi Arabia.
The reason lies in their rather unimpressive and unconvincing performances in the previous two matches. In the opening game against U23 Kyrgyzstan, despite their opponents being reduced to ten men from the 34th minute, the West Asian side still struggled and only managed to decide the match in the closing stages. Some even believe that victory came with the help of favourable refereeing decisions.
In the second match against U23 Jordan, U23 Saudi Arabia once again controlled the game and took the lead as early as the 19th minute. However, complacency and underestimating their opponents proved costly, resulting in a 2-3 defeat. This outcome leaves the hosts with no room for error, as they must beat U23 Vietnam in the final match. Even the head coach of U23 Saudi Arabia admitted: “This is an extremely difficult challenge for us.”
While U23 Saudi Arabia have only one option — victory — U23 Vietnam are in a more advantageous position, needing only a draw to qualify for the quarter-finals. Nevertheless, facing a desperate and highly motivated host team, the challenge for coach Kim Sang Sik’s players will be far from easy, despite Vietnam’s back-to-back wins over U23 Jordan and U23 Kyrgyzstan.
Therefore, to take full control of their destiny, U23 Vietnam should aim for nothing less than a win in this match. If successful, coach Kim Sang Sik’s side would finish the group stage with a perfect record and advance confidently to the quarter-finals without relying on any other results. Should that scenario occur, it would be a major surprise and a significant boost for Vietnamese fans and football experts alike.
