Vietnam – Mongolia: Waiting for the first victory in Asiad 19
* Vietnam – Mongolia: 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 19, on MetaSports.
A victory created a successful start, when coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team were the first team from the Vietnamese sports delegation to compete at Asiad 19. Three points also reinforced Vietnam's ability to be in the top 3 of Group B. with two strong rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The withdrawal of Afghanistan and Syria close to the start date left Asiad 19 men's football with only five groups of three teams instead of the original six. The competition for the four best third places is therefore easier.
In the previous Asiad, Vietnam made history with fourth place. Coach Park Hang-seo brought to Indonesia a team of elite players including the best players from 1995 to 1999, along with three players who have or will later win the Vietnam Golden Ball: Nguyen Anh Duc, Nguyen Van Quyet and Do Hung Dung. The achievement was surprising, but it cannot be denied that the team at that time had the strength to succeed.
This time, Vietnam is named the Olympic team but can actually be called the U20 team with six older players, and no performance goals. Goalkeeper Do Sy Huy, born in 1998, is the only player outside of U24, although the Organizing Committee allows three people. A two to three year age difference in youth football can make a difference, but the team sees it as a psychological pressure that needs to be overcome to develop.
Coach Hoang Anh Tuan said Vietnam must not lose caution even if the opponent is weaker. What's more important to him is how much the home team's ability to control the ball has improved, instead of thinking too much about winning.
With a position of 183 on the FIFA table, Mongolia has never been highly appreciated in tournaments, and Asiad 19 is only the second time they have participated since 1998. Mongolia brings an almost average squad for the sixth time. consecutively failed to qualify for the U23 Asian qualifiers. They only drew and lost after 15 matches, including losses against Southeast Asian representatives such as Laos, Malaysia, Singapore and most recently Cambodia.
To increase strength, coach Ichiro Otsuka added two overage players, midfielder Purevdorj Bayartsengel (26 years old) and midfielder Khurelbaatar Tsend-Ayush (33 years old), and three players from the U24 group, Orkhon Munkh-Orgil. , midfielder Tserenbat Baasanjav and Baljinnyam Batmunkh. However, one week of matching the lineup is unlikely to create significant changes in gameplay.
