Vietnam U23 relaxed ahead of tough Saudi Arabia clash

The team had a training session on Thursday night at Bunyodkor Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Except for goalkeeper Nguyen Van Toan who has a finger injury, all other players proved physically fit for the game.

Besides tactical instructions, coach Gong Oh-kyun often tells the player to laugh more and be as comfortable as possible.

One day before the training session, Gong also let players select any activity they like. Some chose to relax in their room, play video games or talk to their family. Some released energy by going to the gym or chilling at the hotel pool.

The training session was therefore full of great vibes with players joking with each other.

After that came the main part of the session. Gong let players take turns as goalkeeper for a special experience.

Gong wants players to improve their heading skills to make set-pieces more effective.

This may suggest some tactical adjustments coach Gong intends for Vietnam in the upcoming match with Saudi Arabia, who are better in height and physique.

However, compared to the previous generations, Vietnam U23 have many tall players that can easily compete in aerial duels.

Vietnam also have tall defenders like Bui Hoang Viet Anh (L) and Nguyen Thanh Binh.

The quarterfinal between Vietnam and Saudi Arabia will take place at 11 p.m. (Hanoi time) on Sunday and will be reported live on VnExpress International.