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Captain Tu Thanh Thuan is unable to lead the Vietnam men's volleyball team to the final of the AVC Challenge Cup 2023. (Photo: AVC) |
In the afternoon of July 14, the tournament's semifinals continued in Taipei, China. The first semifinal match featured the Vietnamese men's volleyball team against the Thai men's volleyball team. This was an intriguing matchup with a significant history, as the two teams had previously faced each other just two months ago at the 32nd SEA Games. During that encounter, Vietnam suffered a defeat against Thailand in the group stage but later triumphed over them in the rematch to secure the bronze medal.
At the professional level, both teams are now considered evenly matched. Therefore, in the first set, Head Coach Tran Dinh Tien strategically deployed the best spikers to gain an advantage over the opponent. Opposite hitter Tu Thanh Thuan and outside hitter Nguyen Ngoc Thuan performed effectively in this set. Alongside Duong Van Tien and Truong The Khai, they posed a significant challenge to the Thai defense, ultimately securing a 25/20 victory and granting the Vietnamese team the initial advantage.
However, that was all the Vietnamese men's volleyball team could achieve. In the subsequent matches, Vietnamese volleyball players struggled with errors in their first-step ball reception and were unable to apply enough attacking pressure against the Thai defense, resulting in a lack of additional surprises. Meanwhile, the Thai volleyball team read the Vietnamese one’s strategies and focused on blocking Tu Thanh Thuan and Duong Van Tien. When the coaching staff had to substitute them with hitters like Pham Van Hiep and Nguyen Xuan Duc, the newcomers failed to make a significant impact.
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The men's volleyball team emerges victorious in the first set but is unable to secure an overall victory against the Thai men's team. (Photo: SGGP) |
Furthermore, it was apparent that after the first set, the Thai men's volleyball team made effective adjustments to their blocking formation under the guidance of Head Coach Park Ki Won, effectively neutralizing the majority of the Vietnamese team's attacking spikes. The blocking prowess of the Thai team was notably led by their captain, the towering middle blocker Kissada, who stands over 2 meters tall. In the remaining three sets, the Vietnamese men's volleyball team experienced consecutive losses, with scores of 13/25, 22/25, and 15/25.
Ultimately, the Vietnamese men's volleyball team suffered a 1-3 defeat to their opponents in the semifinals, resulting in their inability to secure a spot in the tournament's final. Nevertheless, their achievement of reaching the semifinals in their debut participation is an encouraging feat for Vietnamese men's volleyball.
The remaining semifinal match of the tournament will feature a showdown between the South Korean men's team and the Bahraini men's team. The Vietnamese men’s volleyball team will face the losing team from this match in the third-place playoff of the tournament, scheduled to take place on July 15.
