Why does Coach Gong not use the strongest squad against Malaysia?

“Vietnam won the first, to reach the quarter-finals of the Asian U23 Championship. I was impressed with my players. Before the tournament no one thought Vietnam could do this, but now it has. I didn’t. Nothing here. The credit belongs to the players. VFF, the coaching staff, the doctors… have helped the team a lot. I’m grateful for that,” Coach Gong said later. victory over Malaysia at the end of Group C.

On the Lokomotiv field, Vietnam took the initiative, quickly occupied the match and made Malaysia almost impossible to get on the ball. In the 28th minute, Nham Manh Dung concretized his advantage with a high bounce to open the score. After missing many opportunities, in the first half of injury time, coach Gong’s team also doubled the gap with Bui Hoang Vietnam’s kick right after a broken 11m shot. Although they could not score more goals in the second half, the 2-0 result was enough for Vietnam to enter the quarter-finals with second place in the group, because in the same match Thailand lost to Korea.

In this match, Coach Gong was surprised when he changed five positions compared to the Korean draw, all in the middle. Van Cong, Cong Den, Thanh Nhan, Hai Long and Quang Nho replaced Duy Cuong, Van Truong, Van Khang, Van Do and Hoang Anh. In which, Thanh Nhan and Van Cong competed in the tournament for the first time. Regarding this, Coach Gong explained: “I was thinking of the quarter-finals. Before the Malaysia match, I had a personnel plan. I had no other special reason. The players were all physically fit and healthy. I have good expertise, so I boldly change”.

Different from the anxious preparation process, including the 0-3 friendly loss against the UAE, Vietnam’s scoring ability is improving. Over three games, the team scored five goals from five different players. According to Coach Gong, there is no secret or special training session, but success comes from the ability of the players and he only helps guide.

After the victory over Malaysia, the Vietnamese players were not too excited. Coach Gong said that the team still has matches ahead, so now is not the time to celebrate. The Korean leader also affirmed that in the next round, every opponent will be difficult, so he does not care, but only focuses on the players to rest and prepare in the best way. He added: “We will focus on recovery, then move on. I ask the players what they want, and they say they want to move to a higher level. I understand and want to take them to new places. “.

Vietnam’s next opponent will be determined after the final series of Group D matches tomorrow, June 9. It could be Japan or Saudi Arabia.

Lam Tho (from Tashkent)