Five points in Vietnam vs Jordan goalless draw at AFC U23 Championship 2020

Park Hang-seo's team had a goalless standoff last week in the opening game against the United Arab Emirates in last week's opening match and being detained by Jordan in their second outing means that their qualification for the knockout stages will now depend on the results of the final Day in Group D.

1) An unstable start from Vietnam

It was an uncharacteristic start from Park Hang-seo from Vietnam, as they seemed vulnerable to a lively part of Jordan. Both Ward Al Barri and Ali Olwan tested the defense by looking for crosses within five minutes from the start, but the Vietnamese backline dealt with the danger. However, it needed a brilliant save from goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung to keep the scores level in the 20th minute when Hadi Omar Ahmed easily escaped the attention of his markers and fired a shot across the goal. Meanwhile, at the other end, Jordan goalkeeper Abdallah Al-Fakhouri was a mere spectator for most of the first 45 minutes.

2) A disappointing first 45 minutes

In the end, 45 minutes were extremely disappointing for Vietnam who knew they had to get a result against Jordan in order to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive. While Jordan attempted nine shots at goal (three of them on target) in that first half, Vietnam could muster only a single shot during that period despite enjoying over 60 per cent of the possession proving how superior the opposition were over the Golden Dragons. Park was also forced into a change in the first half  as injured Do Thanh Thinh had to be replaced by Tran Dinh Trong. And the South Korean tactician would have been thinking of making more changes as Vietnam were fortunate to go into the break still level.

3) Vietnam improve, but they have Jordan’s wastefulness to thank

Clearly unhappy by the display of his men in the first 45 minutes, Park introduced Ha Duc Chinh in place of Tran Thanh Son and the SHB Da Nang attacker gave additional support to Nguyen Tien Linh, who had been receiving little supply up front. Vietnam’s performance improved after the restart, but there still wasn’t any mentionable chances that fell for Vietnam as they looked lost for ideas against a spirited Jordan side. But luckily for Vietnam, Jordan were wasteful in front of goal and failed to convert the chances that came their way.

4) Vietnam without a win or goal after two outings

Things haven’t been easy for the 2018 finalists Vietnam in the 2020 AFC U23 Championship as they are still goalless and without a win in the fourth edition of the tournament. And what would concern Park the most was not just the fact that they are yet to score in the tournament, but that his side looked defensively shaky in the game against Jordan.

5) It’s now a three-way battle!

With UAE defeating DPR Korea 2-0 earlier in the day, it is them that lead Group D after two matchdays with four points while Jordan are also with the same number of points but in the second place. Vietnam, who have two points from as many matches, are third with the North Koreans yet to open their account and sitting rockbottom. Vietnam are set to face DPR Korea in their final outing of the group stages on January 16 while UAE and Jordan battle each other. A win against an already eliminated North Korea might just ensure a qualification for Park’s men if the result goes their way in the other fixture of Group D.