Vietnam U20 captain: 'Losing Iran is an unforgettable lesson'
"U20 Vietnam had a very good opportunity to enter the next round, but failed to take advantage. This defeat will be a lesson we will never forget," Van Khang said after the match.
The defeat at the hands of Iran caused Vietnam to be eliminated despite having the same six points as this West Asian opponent and Australia, because of the rules of the car tournament for confrontational achievements. Therefore, when the match ended, the atmosphere in the U20 Vietnam team sank, many players were disappointed and could not hold back their tears.
"I myself am very sad because the whole team tried their best, but still did not get the desired results. In the future, we will have to try harder," Van Khang added.
Van Khang was the author of the 1-1 equalizer against Iran in the 56th minute with a one-touch cushion in the penalty area after the cross from the right wing of Thanh Nhan. However, many Vietnamese players showed signs of weakness towards the end of the match. The second goal in the 75th minute also more or less affected the psychology of the whole team.
When the score was 1-3, Vietnam tried to attack for the last time in the sixth minute. Duc Viet passed the wing to Quoc Viet to control the ball in the penalty area, then collided with Mehran Feizabadi, but the referee did not think it was a foul that led to the penalty. When the match ended, Van Khang reacted violently to Kuwaiti referee Abdullah Jamali about the situation.
"Not only this match, but many matches in Vietnam are always disadvantaged by the referee. But I think we have to accept and get used to everything when going to the international arena," Van Khang replied when asked. about the referee's decision in the situation where Quoc Viet fell in the Iran penalty area.
Van Khang is the outstanding player of U20 Vietnam at this tournament. Before scoring against Iran, he was voted the best player in the first two matches when the team won Australia 1-0 and Qatar 2-1 respectively.
Van Khang is currently on the staff of Viettel. He has impressed since 2022 when playing for all four teams, U19, U20, U23 and the national team. This 2003 midfielder made a strong impression when he scored on his debut to help Vietnam beat Singapore 4-0 in a friendly tournament in September 2022. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan assessed that Khuat Van Khang will soon contribute more to the Vietnamese team in the future.
