Hieu Minh directly contributed to the only goal of the Vietnamese team - Photo: NGUYEN KHOI
At Thong Nhat Stadium, the Vietnam team won 1-0 against Nepal in the second leg of Group F, the third qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup. Here, two U23 Vietnam players, Nguyen Hieu Minh and Tran Trung Kien, had a great debut for the national team.
Hieu Minh had a header that caused the opponent to score an own goal, indirectly bringing the only goal for the Vietnamese team. Like Hieu Minh, Trung Kien played the full 90 minutes and made a certain contribution to help the Vietnamese team win the match, including some saves.
Both players made no mistakes, easily neutralizing Nepal's attacks as the home team suffered in the second half. Against an opponent of low level like Nepal, such a solid debut was acceptable.
Hieu Minh and Trung Kien were born in 2003 and 2004 respectively. They are two key players of U23 Vietnam in 2025, when they continuously started in the final round of U23 Southeast Asia and the qualifying round of U23 Asia.
Unlike Trung Kien, who has been called up to the national team many times since the beginning of this year, Hieu Minh is a new player in the Vietnamese national team this time, but has immediately had a starting position.
Coach Kim trusted Hieu Minh to replace his injured senior Bui Tien Dung. Trung Kien was chosen to replace Dang Van Lam, who had just returned to the team but did not perform at his best in the first leg against Nepal.
Commenting on Hieu Minh's performance, expert Phan Anh Tu said: "The Vietnamese team's goal was largely due to Hieu Minh. He put a lot of pressure on the opponent, causing them to be confused and score an own goal."
This will be a smooth start for the upcoming journey of Hieu Minh and Trung Kien at the national team level. They have proven that they can replace their seniors who are injured or have lost their form, and can do well the tasks assigned by the head coach at any time. These are the new factors that are expected to be the next generation for the team. Therefore, their future will be very bright.
Coach Kim Sang Sik letting Hieu Minh and Trung Kien start in the national team at this time is also a necessary step to increase the experience and confidence of his students before U23 Vietnam competes in SEA Games 33 and U23 Asia 2026.
The U23 Vietnam team this time only has 2 new players Xuan Bac and Nhat Minh who have not played yet. Their chances are still ahead.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hai-cau-thu-u23-khoi-dau-nhu-mo-o-tuyen-viet-nam-20251015094955268.htm
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