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| Vietnam U23 (white) are determined to make quarter-final berth at Asiad 18 but they cannot underestimate underdogs Bahrain U23. |
With the perfect results of topping the group stage with three wins from three, the team has received great expectations from the fans to book a ticket to the next round after the match to be held on Thursday evening.
However, coach Park Hang-seo’s side has encountered difficulties as several key players suffered injuries ahead of the match. The Korean strategist can now only use 18 out of the 20 registered players, as Hung Dung fractured his toe and Dinh Trong picked-up an injury during a training session yesterday.
That is probably the biggest barrier to the Vietnamese team at this time, but as more than half the squad in Bahrain U23 suffered a lost to Vietnam U19 two years ago and now face Vietnam U23, Vietnamese fans can count on another victory for Van Quyet and his teammates.
The mission is not impossible, but in football everything can happen. Park and his players are staying focused ahead of the game. It is noteworthy that the Korean coach also prepared a scenario of playing a penalty shootout to deal with any possibility against Bahrain.
The team from the Persian Gulf fought hard to progress to the knockout phase after a tough group stage, with a humiliating loss 0-6 to Korean Republic, a 2-2 draw with Kyrgyzstan and a resounding 3-2 victory against Malaysia, thereby ranking No. 3 in Group E and were one among the best third-ranked teams (along with Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and UAE) to reach the round of 16.
Coach Park highly praised several attacking players and the teams attacking strategy. “Of course, no team is perfect and the coaching staff will have a plan," said the 59 year-old coach.
If they beat Bahrain, Vietnam U23 will meet the winner of the Palestinian-Syrian match.
Source: NDO
