Vietnam U.23 team has an advantage over Indonesia U.23, but needs to be careful

Before the final match of the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship, which will take place at 8:00 p.m. on July 29 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, the Vietnam U.23 team has many advantages over the Indonesia U.23 team, both in terms of player fitness and gameplay. However, this is still a match with many potential risks.

Vietnam U.23 Team Preserves Its Strength

Up to now, U.23 Vietnam is the only team to have won all the matches from the group stage to the semi-finals (excluding extra time). Under the guidance of coach Kim Sang-sik, the team is showing clear progress in both playing style and cohesion. The 3-4-3 formation, which has been modified to 3-5-2, is flexibly operated, helping U.23 Vietnam control the game better in each match.

Another important advantage is physical strength. While U.23 Vietnam only needed 90 minutes to defeat U.23 Philippines in the semi-finals, U.23 Indonesia had to go through 120 tense minutes against U.23 Thailand, and only won after a nerve-wracking penalty shootout.

Vietnam U.23 team plays better with each match

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

At this time, the strength of the U.23 Indonesia team is not guaranteed. According to Thanh Nien reporter's investigation, there are about 4 to 5 players of the home team who are not in the best physical condition, and their ability to play in the final is still uncertain. In this group, there are pillars such as Jens Raven, Arkhan Firki and Toni Firmansyah. Raven is the Dutch player who is leading the list of top scorers of the tournament with 7 goals.

Meanwhile, U.23 Vietnam has the best squad. Quoc Viet has returned to training. The remaining players are healthy, the key players maintain stable performance. Coach Kim Sang-sik also proactively rotated the squad so that important players such as Van Khang, Xuan Bac, Dinh Bac... can rest, recover, and be ready for the decisive match.

CANNOT BE SUBJECTIVE

Despite having many advantages, U.23 Vietnam still needs to be very careful, because U.23 Indonesia is not an easy opponent to defeat. U.23 Indonesia plays very good counter-attacks, in addition, they have a weapon of throwing the ball that has become a trademark. Pratama Arhan is too old, but Robi Darwis also throws the ball very powerfully. He made the U.23 Philippines defender score an own goal after the throw-in, bringing U.23 Indonesia a 1-0 victory in the group stage.

One of the weaknesses that U.23 Vietnam needs to improve is the ability to defend high balls and prevent throw-ins. At the 32nd SEA Games, U.22 Indonesia's throw-ins caused U.22 Vietnam to be eliminated from the semi-finals. At this U.23 Southeast Asian tournament, a similar situation occurred when U.23 Philippines scored a goal against U.23 Vietnam after a throw-in. U.23 Indonesia will certainly analyze U.23 Vietnam carefully to find these weaknesses. And it must be said once again, U.23 Vietnam needs to take advantage of opportunities and shoot more sharply. In previous matches, coach Kim Sang-sik's students wasted too many.

Another factor that U.23 Vietnam needs to consider is the approach to the match. Although physical strength is an advantage, if they enter the match too quickly and exert their strength early, the team will risk running out of steam in the second half. Caution in the first 15 or 20 minutes will be necessary for U.23 Vietnam to probe and avoid being hit first. After that, Van Khang and his teammates can speed up to cause surprise.

The U.23 Vietnam team’s mentality also needs to be strong. The capacity of Gelora Bung Karno Stadium is over 80,000 seats, with the enthusiasm of famous fan groups such as La Grande and Ultras Indonesia. If their fans fill the stadium, the pressure on the U.23 Vietnam team will be huge.

The final is always a special match, where all previous advantages can become meaningless without alertness, courage and concentration at the right time. Therefore, U.23 Vietnam needs to prepare very carefully to be able to make a "hat trick" of winning the Southeast Asian championship.

U.23 THAI LAN RECOVERS FACE

After a disappointing defeat against host Indonesia in the semi-finals, U.23 Thailand will enter the third-place match of the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 Championship against U.23 Philippines, at 8:00 p.m. today (July 28) at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. The goal of the "war elephants" is a convincing victory to win the bronze medal.

In terms of force, U.23 Thailand has almost the strongest squad with Seksan Ratree and Yotsakorn Burapha being the outstanding factors. On the contrary, the team that caused a big surprise when entering the semi-finals, U.23 Philippines, will lose force, when center back Rosquillo is suspended for receiving a red card in the semi-finals.

In terms of both expertise and bravery, U.23 Thailand is rated higher than its opponent. Although U.23 Philippines plays disciplined and resiliently, it will be difficult for them to stand firm if the "war elephant" players enter the match with high determination and achieve accuracy in the final shot. This confrontation is not simply for results, but this is also a match for U.23 Thailand to regain the honor and pride of the region's leading football.

Nghi Thao

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-u23-viet-nam-co-loi-the-hon-u23-indonesia-nhung-can-can-trong-18525072719013034.htm