Việt Nam against Indonesia in the 2022 Southeast Asian U19 Football Championship on Saturday. The game ended in a goalless draw. Photo courtesy of VFF

Football

HÀ NỘI — Coach Đinh Thế Nam was satisfied with Việt Nam's U19 0-0 draw against Indonesia in the opening match of the 2022 Southeast Asian U19 Football Championship on Saturday.

At the full Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium, Việt Nam fought for the whole 100 minutes the game lasted.

"The first match is always very difficult. Indonesia had more opportunities, but Việt Nam also had clear opportunities. We won one point when playing against the home team, I am satisfied with this result," said Nam after the match.

According to Nam, the passionate atmosphere on the field affected the psychology of young Vietnamese players.

“It was the first match and it was taken place in a very crowded stadium, the atmosphere was very frenetic. Vietnamese players have never played in front of such a large audience. Indonesia played at home, they were excited, strong and played well,” Nam said.

In this match, Việt Nam's side faced a psychological challenge, as well as a few players suffering from cramp. Meanwhile, Indonesia created many opportunities but failed to find the net.

Coach Shin Tae-yong said that with intense pressure throughout the match, Indonesia should have scored against Việt Nam, instead of accepting a 0-0 draw.

“Indonesia did not arrange the attacks well in this match. To score a goal, players needed to pass the ball at the right time with speed. That is what we will improve. Indonesia should have scored against Việt Nam but we couldn't do it in this match," Shin said.

However, the South Korean coach still praised the spirit of competition of his players, saying that Indonesia had an enthusiastic match.

"Fans can see that the Indonesian players worked hard, the Vietnamese players did too. Therefore, many players had cramp in this match. The first match in each tournament always contains difficulties, but the performance of my players can be said to be acceptable," Shin added.

Following this match, Việt Nam will next meet the Philippines on July 4, Brunei on July 6, Myanmar on July 8 and then Thailand on July 10.

The regional event is taking place in Indonesia until July 15, with the participation of 11 Southeast Asian U19 teams. They were divided into two groups, competing in a round-robin. The first and second teams in each group win the right to the semi-finals.

Group A includes Việt Nam, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Brunei, and Indonesia. Group B consists of Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos and Timor Leste.

Việt Nam won the Southeast Asian U19 Championship once in 2007. In addition to this championship, they also finished second four times, in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015. VNS