A squad of good goal-scoring defenders will elevate U.23 Vietnam

Take the head as the root

U.23 Vietnam is having a dream start under coach Kim Sang-sik, winning all 4 matches to win the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship, then winning another 3 matches to secure a ticket to the 2026 Asian U.23 Championship.

A team of good scoring defenders will raise the level of U.23 Vietnam - Photo 1.

Ly Duc (3) and Hieu Minh (4) are central defenders who often attack and score goals for U.23 VN - Photo: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

Of course, this is not an outstanding achievement compared to the past. The U.23 Southeast Asian playground is where U.23 Vietnam won the championship twice (in 2022 and 2023), and the U.23 Asian Finals also marked the appearance of Vietnamese football 5 times in a row from 2016 to present.

However, the first victories have shown that Mr. Kim's U.23 Vietnam "machine" is running smoothly, with the right playing philosophy, flexible improvisation ability and unquestionable battle spirit. U.23 Vietnam may not play well in every match, but they always know how to win. Such a team is capable of going far in any tournament.

Like his predecessor Park Hang-seo, coach Kim Sang-sik built the U.23 Vietnam team on a foundation of disciplined defense. The Korean strategist always rotates the players in each match, except for 4 positions that rarely change: the goalkeeper and 3 central defenders. This is the core foundation for Mr. Kim's philosophy to operate.

U.23 Vietnam prioritizes solid defense, tight play, cautious approach and probing. When they can really read the opponent's playing style, that's when Mr. Kim's students enter the game and put their all into it. However, to play like that, they need a solid defense, because to win, they must first not lose.

In 2022, Coach Park Hang-seo's U.23 Vietnam won the SEA Games with only 8 goals (after 6 matches). Because the team had a clean sheet throughout the tournament, any goal scored would be decisive. Previously, at the 2019 SEA Games, U.23 Vietnam also won the championship with only 4 goals conceded after 7 matches.

Defensive philosophy is the common foundation of Korean coaches, and "musketeers" like Hieu Minh, Ly Duc, and Nhat Minh will be the reliable cards for Mr. Kim to make his mark.

"Punch" FROM THE REAR

However, coach Kim Sang-sik's defense still has a strong point that needs to be promoted, which is the ability to contribute to goals.

In the 2025 U.23 Southeast Asian tournament, center back Hieu Minh (2 goals) and Ly Duc (1 goal) made important contributions to help U.23 Vietnam win smoothly in the first matches against U.23 Laos and U.23 Cambodia. In the 2026 U.23 Asian qualifiers, left back Phi Hoang's crosses became a nightmare for many defenders, helping U.23 Vietnam get through difficult times.

As football (even youth football) becomes more and more tight and calculated, attacking to find goals becomes much more difficult. Technology to research, analyze opponents, and defensive tactics are also thoroughly improved, making football no longer purely a game of strong or good attacking teams. The team that adapts to the situation better, knows how to take advantage of unexpected attacks… will win.

At that time, the "steel punches" from the defense line will be the avenue to victory. For example, coach Kim Sang-sik once shared with Thanh Nien that he carefully studied how to arrange set pieces for U.23 Vietnam. "A large number of goals in football come from corner kicks or indirect free kicks, so I want to sharpen the players," said Mr. Kim. Thanks to the well-arranged situations, making good use of the height of over 1.8 m of Ly Duc or Hieu Minh, U.23 Vietnam has a sharp weapon to penetrate the opponent's net.

Under coach Park Hang-seo, the defender's goals were the key to success for both the national team and U.23 Vietnam. At the 30th SEA Games (2019), Van Hau's double against Indonesia in the final helped U.23 Vietnam win the first gold medal in history. In the Vietnamese team, captain Ngoc Hai often took penalty kicks, or advanced to pass long, creating opportunities for Tien Linh and Quang Hai to score. Other defenders such as Thanh Chung and Trong Hoang were also given the opportunity to penetrate the penalty area to score.

When the attacking spearheads are caught, it is the strong defenders from the second line that will bring a different solution. Mr. Kim has enough ingredients in his hands to mold a good defense. He has a team of tall and good header central defenders (Ly Duc, Hieu Minh), diligently pushing up to add troops to the attacking front (Nhat Minh) and good crossers (typically Phi Hoang). U.23 Vietnam's tactics also create open space for the defenders to attack. Because every time the defense moves up, the midfield falls back to cover, filling the gap behind. It is Mr. Kim's flexible rotation of the squad that helps U.23 Vietnam have a hero on the scoreboard in each match.

The current U.23 Vietnam team is as versatile and flexible as a Rubik's cube. When the defense is ready to share responsibility with the attack, coach Kim's students will be very difficult to defeat.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dan-hau-ve-gioi-ghi-ban-se-nang-tam-u23-viet-nam-185250921220913736.htm