With two Southeast Asian U23 champions, The Cong - Viettel still lost in the national U21 final

U21 quốc gia - Ảnh 1. — Cong Phuong (left) in the final match of the 2025 National U21 Tournament - Photo: LY THANH

On the afternoon of July 31, U21 PVF won the 2025 National U21 Championship after defeating U21 The Cong - Viettel 1-0 in the final match at Ba Ria Stadium (Ba Ria Ward, Ho Chi Minh City).

The Vietnam U23 team just returned to Ho Chi Minh City on the afternoon of July 30 after defeating host Indonesia U23 1-0 in the final match of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship.

But instead of going home to rest, two U23 Vietnam players Nguyen Cong Phuong - the striker who scored the only goal in the final match and Nguyen Thanh Dat went to Ba Ria to join the U21 The Cong - Viettel team.

Both were also sent by coach Dang Thanh Phuong to start in the final match of the 2025 National U21 Tournament against U21 PVF on the afternoon of July 31. However, both Cong Phuong and Thanh Dat could not help U21 The Cong - Viettel make a difference against their opponents.

With equally good squad quality, U21 PVF and The Cong - Viettel created a fairly even match. In which, the ball mainly took place in the midfield area, so both teams did not have many dangerous situations.

U21 quốc gia - Ảnh 2. — Thanh Dat (right) in the final match of the 2025 National U21 Tournament - Photo: DU HAI

However, U21 PVF unexpectedly scored a surprising goal in the 22nd minute. From a cross from defender Bao Long, Ngoc Tai dribbled down close to the bottom of the line and crossed inside. The ball spun and rolled straight into the net, surprising the U21 The Cong - Viettel defense.

Being behind, U21 The Cong - Viettel had to attack more in the second half to find an equalizer. But when he had a good chance in the 53rd minute, Huu Tuan's shot missed the post.

Immediately after this near-loss, U21 PVF immediately strengthened their defense. Coach Nguyen Duy Dong's team even retreated deep to defend, accepting to let U21 The Cong - Viettel control the midfield.

Facing that multi-layered defense of U21 PVF, U21 The Cong - Viettel was stuck. And when they had two scoring opportunities, Trung Hieu (minute 88) and Hoang Khanh (minute 90+2) encountered goalkeeper Quang Truong (U21 PVF) playing extremely well.

In the 90+5 minute, captain Thai Ba Dat of U21 PVF received a red card after a foul on the opponent. However, U21 PVF still maintained the score of 1-0 to win the championship.

PVF wins awards

In addition to the Championship Cup, U21 PVF also won 2/3 individual awards: "Best Goalkeeper" (Nguyen Quang Truong) and "Best Player" (Nguyen Le Phat).

The remaining individual title - "Top scorer" belongs to Nguyen Minh Tam (Hoang Anh Gia Lai I).

The two teams tied for third place were U21 Ho Chi Minh City and U21 Hanoi .