Scoring first, U22 Vietnam was still held to a draw by U22 Korea

On the afternoon of March 20, U22 Vietnam entered the first match of the CFA Team China 2025 international friendly tournament in Jiangsu, China. Facing the stronger opponent, U22 Korea, coach Dinh Hong Vinh decided to use a force with some experience in fighting in the Asian youth tournament.

Based on the 3-4-3 formation, coach Dinh Hong Vinh used the following starting lineup: Van Binh, Nhat Minh, Hieu Minh, Van Ha, Phi Hoang, Xuan Bac, Viktor Le, Hong Phuc, Thanh Nhan, Van Truong, Quoc Viet. Among them, 6 players were the pillars of the U20 Vietnam team that played well at the 2023 U20 Asian Cup. Thanks to understanding each other before, the main lineup of the U22 Vietnam team played cohesively, following the defensive counter-attacking tactics that coach Dinh Hong Vinh applied.

Of course, U22 Korea is still superior in terms of physique, strength and agility. So it is not surprising that the representative of the land of kimchi dominated and played aggressively in the first half. In the 15th minute, a U22 Korean player launched a dangerous shot in the penalty area but goalkeeper Cao Van Binh successfully blocked it.

5 minutes later, U22 Vietnam had a powerful response. From a lightning counterattack, Thanh Nhan fired a beautiful long-range shot. The U22 Korean goalkeeper could not catch the ball, leading to Quoc Viet swooping in and cushioning the ball into an empty goal. However, the referee did not recognize U22 Vietnam's goal, when he determined that Quoc Viet was offside.

Just 6 minutes after the break, U22 Vietnam finally took the lead. In the 51st minute, Quoc Viet crossed into the penalty area, the U22 Korean goalkeeper tried to block, but Thanh Nhan was there at the right time to finish close to the goal to open the score.

The following minutes saw U22 Vietnam play confidently against U22 Korea. In the opposite direction, U22 Korea also tried to push forward in search of an equalizer. There was a period when the young strikers of the Korean team were helpless against the excellence of goalkeeper Cao Van Binh. The stability in the goal of the Nghe An goalkeeper made many players on the opposing side discouraged.

U22 Vietnam was very close to winning against U22 Korea. But unfortunately, in the extra minute of the second half, from a small combination in the penalty area, Jeong Jae Sang successfully finished, bringing a 1-1 draw for U22 Korea against U22 Vietnam. Although the draw was unfortunate, it can be seen that U22 Vietnam played a very hard match. The players deployed the game coherently, creating lines and efficiency.

In 3 days, U22 Vietnam will meet U22 Uzbekistan.