could it be that...?
national soccer team
Is it really possible to suffer consecutive defeats against Lebanon, Oman and Vietnam? Lebanon and Oman seem to be only slightly better than Syria.
Once upon a time, Oman was a force to be reckoned with, and the players were generally young, with only the goalkeeper over thirty in the 29-man roster. Numerous players were given a chance to work out in the Japanese and Korean leagues, and some even briefly stayed in Europe. With the 2017 U20 World Youth Championship and 2018 U23 Asian Cup as the base, this group of players has risen rapidly. After two and a half years of sharpening since the 2019 Asian Cup, they have been ranked among the second-rate in Asia in terms of both real-world experience and form. Not only have they inherited the traditional delicate individual skills, but the technical and tactical level is also richer, with significant improvements in tactical discipline and physical fitness.
It's been a long time since the Lebanon 0-0 South Korea match two years ago. In soccer, two years is just a small change and four years is a big change, so that game doesn't have much reference value. A general recap is similar to the level of the match between the Philippines and China.
Vietnam made it to the Top 12 for the first time, and were far stronger than Thailand from the previous edition. Syria from last edition was also mediocre and was seen as an easy opponent to beat before the tournament, but we all know the result. Vietnam's soccer has made remarkable progress in recent years. at the 2018 U23 Asian Cup held in Jiangsu, China, Vietnam unexpectedly made it to the final, ultimately defeating Uzbekistan; at the men's football tournament of the Asian Games in the same year, Vietnam's national Olympic team made it to the quarterfinals, ultimately losing to South Korea; and at the 2019 Asian Cup, Vietnam made it to the last eight, ultimately losing to Japan.
No opponent should be seen as an ATM machine, and soccer is a male-to-male sport. Even if we are not as skilled as our opponents, we can still give it our all and run hard.
