Vietnam face grass problem at AFF U23 Cup

“This is a new pitch. The grass looks really nice. But it’s carpet grass, while we have only been training on scrutch grass before. The players need to adapt to this quickly,” coach Dinh The Nam said in reference to Prince Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

In professional football, there are two kinds of natural grass. Of which, scrutch grass has higher quality but is more expensive to care for. Only some stadiums in Vietnam like Hang Day or Thong Nhat use this kind of grass. Carpet grass costs less but can be easily ruined and cause difficulties for players during the match.

Vietnam only brought its U21 team to the tournament in Cambodia. The team have a slight edge compared to their opponent Singapore, whose squad includes many Covid-19 cases. Previously, Indonesia and Myanmar had withdrawn from the tournament due to player shortage caused by the pandemic.

After watching Singapore lose 1-3 to Thailand, Nam said: “Singaporean players have great physique and stamina, especially in the foward and centre-back position. Their style of play involves pace and long passes to the forward.”

2022 AFF U23 Youth Championship has three groups. The top team of each and the best second-placed team will enter the semifinals.

Vietnam will play Singapore on Saturday.