U.19 Binh Duong is lucky

Before the final match of Group A of the U.19 tournament on the afternoon of February 25, PVF with 2 wins was sure to enter the quarterfinals. Coach Nguyen Duy Dong proactively put aside some key players who were not about to be in the main squad such as Nguyen Le Phat, Le Nguyen Quoc Trung, Nguyen Hoang Anh, Tran Gia Huy, Phung Quang Tu. On the contrary, the host U.19 Binh Duong still had to exert all their strength to fight because if they did not get at least 1 point, the tragedy of the U.19 tournament in 2021 would repeat itself when the host Binh Duong stopped early in the group stage.

Because of the pressure to score points, U.19 Binh Duong, despite their best efforts, still did not play very freely, while PVF was very comfortable, playing with the spirit of both training the reserves and still knowing how to put pressure on the home team. Thanks to playing like that, PVF continuously took the lead thanks to Doan Huy Long scoring from the 3rd minute. After Luong Gia Thanh equalized in the 25th minute for Binh Duong, right at the beginning of the second half, Dao Quang Anh raised the score to 2-1 for the team from Hung Yen.

The individual players were better and their play was more coherent, so if the score remained the same, PVF would have helped eliminate Binh Duong from the tournament. But the second half was the rise of the team from the land of Thu, while some signs of loss of concentration and lack of cohesion appeared, making PVF's play become confusing. They continuously committed fouls and received a series of yellow cards in this half due to reckless rushing into the opponent.

The loss of control in several situations caused PVF to let Binh Duong attack and equalize 2-2 in the 79th minute thanks to Do Minh Thuan. A valuable goal was enough to help the host team of the U.19 final round get 1 more point. On the contrary, after conceding the equalizer, PVF lost control and reacted to the referee. Within just 1 minute of extra time (90+1), from midfielder Dao Quang Anh to team leader Nguyen Manh Cuong received yellow cards from referee Nguyen Van Phuc. Although leading the table with 7 points, 5 yellow cards in one match should not have been received, causing PVF to be heavily affected if they went deep into the tournament.

As for Binh Duong, they finished third in Group A with 4 points, a goal difference of 3/3 and are certain to enter the quarter-finals because the third team in Group C, even though they have 4 points, still has a goal difference of -1. Currently, both Song Lam Nghe An and Khanh Hoa are both on 3 points in Group C and will meet directly in the final round on the afternoon of February 26. If the result is a win or loss, the third team will be behind the home team. If the two teams draw, Khanh Hoa with 4 points and a goal difference of -1 will also be behind Binh Duong. The competition format selects the two third-placed teams to enter the quarter-finals, so there is no need to consider the third team in Group B, the home team has also officially passed the narrow door to the quarter-finals.

U.19 Hue deserves to be the "dark horse"

As Thanh Nien predicted before the U.19 tournament, if in 2023 Binh Phuoc was the team that caused a surprise in Tay Ninh when reaching the quarterfinals, then in 2024 the ancient capital team will likely become a dark horse. In fact, that was true when U.19 Hue played very well, from the match attacking PVF continuously in the first 15 minutes with 4-5 scoring opportunities and only losing 0-1. Then came the impressive victory over Binh Duong and on the afternoon of February 25, coach Duong Cong Quoc and his team crushed Dong Thap 5-1. Nguyen Dang Khoa scored a hat-trick and the remaining 2 goals were scored by Le Van Tu and Nguyen Huu Nhat Long. It was not until the 90th minute that Doan Quoc Huy pulled back the honorary goal 1-5 for the team from the Southwest region.

This victory helps Hue have 6 points, second in Group A after PVF and according to the code specified in option 1 (the third team in Group C is likely to be eliminated), the ancient capital team will meet the second team in Group B, possibly LPBank HAGL. Dong A Thanh Hoa or even Hanoi. There is a chance for Hue to continue to cause surprises, especially when the more they play, the better they get. As coach Duong Cong Quoc said: "This team only finished second in the qualifying round at home, but reaching the quarterfinals is a big surprise. Now let's play comfortably, who knows, we might cause another surprise."

On the afternoon of February 26, the final matches of Group B and C will take place, with the focus being on the two matches between LPBank HAGL and Thanh Hoa and Song Lam Nghe An and Khanh Hoa (both at 2 p.m.) to decide the remaining tickets after Hanoi and The Cong Viettel to the quarterfinals. The remaining two matches are just formalities between Hanoi and Phu Yen and The Cong Viettel and Binh Phuoc (both at 4 p.m.).