U23 Vietnam lost soldiers before going to Qatar

Defender Phan Tuan Tai suffered a knee injury that did not recover in time, so he missed the 2024 AFC U23 Championship finals in Qatar.

Tuan Tai injured his knee while playing for The Cong Club, before joining the national team on April 5. After two days of training, the defender born in 2001's injury did not improve, so coach Hoang Anh Tuan decided to let him return to the club to recover.

Previously, Tuan Tai played 44 minutes in the match where The Cong won against Quang Nam , but did not play in the 0-0 draw with Binh Duong on April 4, V-League 2023-2024.

Phan Tuan Tai watches his teammates in U23 Vietnam practice on the afternoon of April 6. Photo: Thu Khuc

Tuan Tai is an important player of the Vietnam U23 team, emerging from the 31st SEA Games to win the gold medal. After that, he participated in the 2022 U23 Asian Cup finals, the 32nd SEA Games and was highly regarded in the national team under coach Philippe Troussier. With the position of left-sided center-back, Tuan Tai started the last seven matches for the national team in the 2023 Asian Cup and the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, including six matches with the full 90 minutes. However, the player from Dak Lak also made many mistakes and received a lot of criticism.

In the left center-back position, the U23 team can replace Nguyen Thanh Khai (Da Nang), Nguyen Ngoc Thang (Ha Tinh). And in the left-back position, the team has Khuat Van Khang (The Cong), Ha Van Phuong, Hoang Van Toan (Hanoi Police). Previously, coach Hoang Anh Tuan did not call up defender Vo Minh Trong of Binh Duong , who was a regular starter in the national team under coach Troussier.

In addition to Tuan Tai, the U23 team will not have the service of striker Nguyen Thanh Nhan, who suffered a shoulder injury while playing for PVF-CAND in round 13 of the 2023-2024 First Division. To ensure the depth of the squad, coach Hoang Anh Tuan called up additional striker Nguyen Van Tung of Hanoi FC.

Midfielder Nguyen Duc Viet (orange shirt) passes the ball during a practice match on the afternoon of April 7. Photo: Thu Khuc

Among the 27 U23 players, five names participated in the 2022 U23 Asia in Uzbekistan, with the achievement of reaching the quarterfinals, including goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan, defender Luong Duy Cuong, midfielder Khuat Van Khang, Nguyen Van Truong and striker Nguyen Van Tung.

The team has been training for the past two days at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center, as most of the players have had little time to play at their clubs. "Due to the short training time, the coach is focusing on physical fitness to prepare for the upcoming tournament," said center back Duy Cuong before the training session on the afternoon of April 7.

Tomorrow, the team will board the 8:40 flight from Noi Bai Airport to Qatar. On April 10, the team will play a friendly match with Jordan - an opponent in Group A with host Qatar, Australia and Indonesia. Before that, the team trained in Tajikistan at the end of March and played two friendly matches with the host, winning 1-0 and drawing 0-0 respectively.

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan will finalize the list of 23 players for the tournament on April 16, one day before the opening match against Kuwait in Group D. After that, Vietnam will meet Malaysia on April 20 and Uzbekistan on April 23. The team's goal is to win a ticket to the quarterfinals.

The 2024 AFC U23 Championship finals also serve as the Asian qualifying round for men’s football in the Olympic Games. The 16 teams will be divided into four groups and play a round-robin tournament, with four winners and four runners-up advancing to the quarter-finals. The top three teams will automatically qualify for the Olympics. The fourth-placed team will play a play-off against the fourth-placed team in the African U23 Championship.

Hieu Luong

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