*PRE-MATCH COMMENTARY
Last year, in the opening match of the Southwest region qualifying round, the home team of Can Tho University had a breathtaking 1-0 victory over the Mekong University team.
Although rated weaker, Cuu Long University had a fair match with Can Tho University. However, luck was not on the away team’s side when in the last minute of extra time of the match, a team player accidentally scored an own goal, helping Can Tho University get 3 valuable points.
The Cuu Long University team (yellow jersey) showed progress when playing very solidly against Dong Thap University in the previous match.
This year, the draw continues to bring 2 teams together in group A, the Southwest region qualifying round, the 3rd Vietnamese Youth Student Football Tournament – 2025 THACO Cup. Before this rematch, Cuu Long University seemed to show a different face when in the opening match of the regional qualifying round, the team played very solidly and had a 0-0 draw against Dong Thap University, The team is highly appreciated.
The above match also confirmed that Mekong University is not an easy opponent for any team in this year’s Southwest regional qualifiers. In particular, according to the revelation from the coaching staff of Cuu Long University, the unfortunate elimination in the 2024 season taught the team a valuable lesson about subjectivity, inattention, and loss of concentration. Over the past year, the whole team has tried to overcome and practice together to have a more harmonious and cohesive playing style.
Can Tho University players (purple shirts) have an advantage in their hands as they got the first 3 points after a breathtaking win against Southern Can Tho University.
For the host Can Tho University, luck still seems to be accompanying this team when they had a very dramatic victory against the Can Tho South University team in the first match. True to the Tay Do derby, the match between Can Tho University and South Can Tho University took place very attractively. Up to 3 times the referee pointed to the penalty spot. At the end of the match, Can Tho University won a breathtaking 2-1 victory over Nam Can Tho University despite playing with fewer people in the last 10 minutes of the match.
Thus, Can Tho University currently has 3 points and holds many advantages in its hands. Mekong University, which has 1 point, will be forced to win against the host if it wants to proactively win the next round.
