U22 Vietnam - U22 Philippines: A Major Challenge

U22 Vietnam is considered a favorite for the championship and has shown impressive performances. Although their 2-1 win over U22 Laos in the opening match was somewhat unconvincing, making the other Group B match a must-win, Coach Kim Sang-sik’s squad convincingly defeated U22 Malaysia 2-0 to top the group. However, compared to the two group stage opponents, U22 Philippines is regarded as a tougher challenge.

U22 Philippines is the most formidable "dark horse" of this SEA Games. Their progress to the semifinals is no mere luck. They have demonstrated disciplined play, strong stamina, and a distinct football spirit compared to previous years.

The U22 Philippines squad arriving in Thailand this year consists of two groups of players. The first group includes those who have been part of the team since SEA Games 32. This group has matured in their careers, with some becoming key figures in the national team, such as striker Alex Monis, defender Santiago Rublico, and Noah Leddel. The team captain, midfielder Sandro Reyes, has competed in SEA Games since 2022 (in Vietnam) and has been playing for the Philippines national team since 2021. Despite his small stature, Reyes possesses excellent technique, sharp tactical awareness, and dynamic movement and finishing abilities.

The second group of U22 Philippines players are promising talents born after 2004, competing both domestically and abroad, including brothers Nicholas Guimaraes and Gabriel Guimaraes (Japan), Dylan Demuynck (Belgium), Isaiah Alakiu (England), and Otu Banatao (USA).

These U22 Philippines players have trained and played together since early this year. The team has nearly maintained the same lineup from the Southeast Asian U23 Championship semifinals in mid-year to the current SEA Games.

In the two group matches, U22 Philippines started with the same lineup. This confirms that U22 Philippines is a cohesive and well-prepared team with stable performance so far.

U22 Philippines is the only team to reach the SEA Games 33 semifinals without conceding a goal. Their organized defensive counterattack style poses a significant challenge to U22 Vietnam’s offense.

In the group stage, Coach Kim Sang-sik’s team still showed some lack of smoothness in link-up play between lines, off-the-ball movement, and transitions in both attack and defense.

These are considered crucial factors as U22 Vietnam enters the knockout rounds, where even the smallest errors can impact the final outcome.

Although U22 Vietnam previously defeated U22 Philippines in the Southeast Asian U23 Championship semifinals, Coach Kim Sang-sik’s team cannot be complacent. In that match, despite winning 2-1, the victory was not easy, even with the highest-quality squad available. U22 Vietnam faced considerable difficulty against the opponent’s tight defensive tactics.

In the SEA Games 33 group stage, U22 Philippines was not considered the strongest in Group C but surprised by finishing first after two matches without conceding. After comfortably beating U22 Myanmar, the Philippines players defeated the defending champions U22 Indonesia 1-0 in the other match, not only advancing but also ending the champions’ reign.

In this match, U22 Philippines will likely start with a defensive setup, applying intense pressing in midfield to disrupt U22 Vietnam’s play. The key for Coach Kim Sang-sik’s players is to find effective ways to approach the opponent’s goal. The most critical factor for U22 Vietnam remains their ability to capitalize on scoring chances. This has been a headache for the Korean coach, as his players still waste opportunities.

U22 Vietnam must also remain cautious because the knockout nature of the competition leaves no room for careless errors. The team still includes some players from SEA Games 32 and carries lessons from the last tournament, where they lost in the semifinals and only secured bronze.

Vietnamese youth football has frequently performed well against Philippine opponents in SEA Games encounters, despite meeting only three times. Notably, the only time U22 Philippines did not lose to U22 Vietnam was at SEA Games 31, when U22 Vietnam won the gold medal.

The match between U22 Vietnam and U22 Philippines will take place at 3:30 PM on December 15th. Coach Kim Sang-sik definitely wants U22 Vietnam to win within 90 minutes, so the team will likely adopt an attacking approach to overwhelm the opponent.