Vietnam vs Saudi Arabia at Asian Cup quarterfinals - a hard match for both

VOV.VN - Vietnam will play Saudi Arabia in the quarter-final game of the ongoing AFC U23 Asian Cup on June 12 – a match set to be a big challenge for both teams.

Head coach Saad Al-Shehri of Saudi Arabia, the runners-up of the 2020 tournament, admitted that all eight teams qualifying for the quarter-finals are strong and he needs more time to identify the opponents like Vietnam that played three different line-ups and formations in the group stage. 

Saad Al-Shehri has even known nothing about Gong Oh-kyun of the Republic of Korea who has just succeeded Park Hang-seo to coach the Vietnam U23 side. The newly appointed coach from the RoK has left a first impression on local spectators when leading Vietnam to the quarter-finals as Group C second placed winners.

Surely it will cause a headache for the Saudi Arabian coach in figuring out how to block the Vietnamese strikers in the coming knockout game.

Saudi Arabia successfully progressed through to the final round in both 2013 and 2020. This year, they topped Group D with seven points after defeating Tajikistan 5-0, the United Arab Emirates 2-0, and playing out a goalless draw with Japan.

Meanwhile, Vietnam finished as runners-up in the 2018 competition. This year the team set a record after becoming the first Southeast Asian representative to record no losses in the group stage, drawing with archrivals Thailand 2-2 and Cup defending champions the RoK 1-1 before trouncing Malaysia 2-0.

The 2-0 win over Malaysia on June 8 was Gong's first win since he officially took charge of the team after the recent SEA Games 31.

At a press briefing on June 11, both coach Gong Oh-kyun and captain Bui Hoang Viet Anh all showed their respect for Saudi Arabia, but stated the Vietnam U23 side are determined to play fairly with opponents from West Asia.

All 22 players are in good form and they are all ready for the next match ao,ing to secure a win, said Gong.

Meanwhile, Saad Al-Shehri felt self-confident that his students would outplay their Vietnamese opponents in the June 12 clash.

Saudi Arabia have fewer days off than U23 Vietnam, but all the players are physically fit, said Al-Shehri, adding with their outstanding level, they would cause difficulty for Vietnam.

Since 2008 Vietnam have only drawn once and lost three times against Saudi Arabia at the U23 level.

Due to these factors, experts say the Vietnam vs Saudi Arabia match that is scheduled to take place at 23:00 on June 12 (Vietnam time) will be a hard nut to crack.

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