Southeast Asia

AFC U19 Championship SEA Update

Catch up on the recent action at the AFC U19 Championships with out South-East Asia Update, looking at how Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and hosts Indonesia are performing at the tournament:

Indonesia

The side got a good result against Chinese Taipei, but were unlucky to lose against Qatar. If Indonesia managed to sustain their level of performance over both halves, they might gotten better result. With Egy Maulana Vikri still not on his best form, Indonesia should find a way how to score collectively

Facing UAE will decide whether or not Indonesia get their knockout round ticket. They need a win to make it happen, but it will a tough challenge. UAE are currently the group leaders with 6 points, and have come off the back of an 8-1 victory over Chinese Taipei. Indra Sjafri should work to improve the composure of his players to respond to the high pressure of the situation.

 

Key Player: Saddil Ramdani, Aged 18, Right Winger - Ramdani is known for his fantastic left foot, which makes him lethal when cutting inside and from free-kicks

Aditya Jaya Iswara

Thailand

Thailand's 3-3 draw with Iraq in the opening fixture of group B was considered to be a satisfying result. The young War Elephants showed great attacking potential by taking the lead and also coming from 2 goals behind to equalize in the final minute. Thailand also gad the majority of possession and created more chances against a strong Iraq side. However, everybody knows we can't be conceding 3 goals every game and a improved defensive display is needed.

In today's fixture, Thailand will face a strong Japan side who beat DPR Korea comfortably 5-2. Issara Sritaro's boys would have to do much better defensively against a Japanese side full of attacking wonder-kids such as midfielder Hiroki Abe or Takefusa Kubo, both of whom have scored in the previous match. The Thai coach has focused the whole of Saturday's training on correcting defensive errors before fine-tuning other details during yesterday's session. Offensively Thailand look decent enough to grab a goal or two so let's hope the team can find the right balance and perhaps get a confidence-boosting result today!

 

Key Player: Korrawit Tasa, Aged 18, Forward - Korrawit was Thailand's most dangerous attacker against Iraq. Last time out, his pace and ability to shoot from all angles was a threat all night as he scored Thailand's second goal, and maybe should've had more. The young striker looks confident and fans will be praying he could produce similar display again today to give Thailand some chance up front.

Obb Deewajin

Malaysia

Malaysia opened their 2018 AFC U-19 Championship campaign with a defeat on Saturday, with a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia at the Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium.

Even though they try will fight back, its may be too late for Bojan Hodak’s young charges as Saudi Arabia held on to a deserving win temporarily go top of Group D, with the game against Tajikistan and China PR to come later on Saturday evening.

The Croatia-born coach reminded his young squad that they need to learn from the mistakes they have made while facing Saudi Arabia, and he still believes that his side are able to qualify for the next stage. Malaysia will face Tajikistan for the second group D match, and they need a win to regain their opportunity to qualify for the next stage.

 

Key Player: Akhyar Rashid, Aged 19, Left Winger - After already featuring for Malaysia U-23 and the the Senior National Team, Rashid is certainly the player to watch in this Malaysia squad

Aiman Nazirmuddin

Vietnam

Vietnam has lost 1-2 to Jordan in the opening match despite having a lead at 20 minutes. That result has put the team in a very difficult position, as they need to win both of their remaining games if they hope to qualify for Quarter Finals.

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan believe that the team will show the different playing style in the match against Australia and South Korea, but it will be very difficult as many players sustained injuries after first match, including captain Dang Van Toi. The team will face many difficulties which will make it hard for them to pull off upset against Australia and South Korea

 

Key Player: Dang Van Toi, Aged 19, Left-Back/Center-Back - Van Toi is one of the most experienced players in the team. He can play in almost any position on the pitch. In the match against Jordan, he is the man of the match for Vietnam team with 1 assist and many dangerous crosses to create chances for his teammates. Unfortunately, he sustained serious knee injury in the last minute of the game and has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament.

Tran Tien