Vietnamese-Croatian prodigy creates buzz at Vietnam national team match

Vietnamese-Croatian Antonio Moric and the U19 Vietnam team unexpectedly appeared at Hang Day Stadium to watch the Vietnam national team play.

On the evening of March 26 at Hang Day Stadium (Hanoi), the Vietnam national team secured a 3-0 victory over Bangladesh in an international friendly during the FIFA Days of March 2026. Goals from Tuan Hai, Xuan Manh, and Hai Long helped coach Kim Sang-sik and his team have a successful rehearsal ahead of welcoming Malaysia in the final qualifying round for the Asian Cup 2027.

At Hang Day Stadium, the Vietnam national team also received support from very special fans. Specifically, the younger members of the U19 Vietnam team appeared in the stands to attentively watch the Vietnam national team play, with a notably prominent figure being the Vietnamese-Croatian player Antonio Moric.

Currently, the U19 Vietnam team continues training at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center in Hanoi. Among them, Antonio Moric, after a period of training with the U23 Vietnam team, has returned to the U19 team since this Vietnamese-Croatian prodigy did not travel to China with the U23 team for the friendly tournament.

The absence of the 2008-born midfielder attracted significant attention from the media and fans. Regarding this situation, the coaching staff of the U23 Vietnam team stated that this adjustment was part of a pre-planned professional strategy.

In fact, Moric is originally part of the U19 national team roster and was given the opportunity to train with the U23 Vietnam team during the recent gathering to allow the coaching staff to observe, evaluate his capabilities and adaptability. After this process, the young player returned to the U19 national team to continue training, aiming for goals aligned with his development pathway.

Antonio Moric spent nearly a week training and playing internal matches with the U23 Vietnam team. Although he grew up in Europe from a young age, Moric impressed with his quite good Vietnamese language skills. Sharing during a training session, Moric couldn't hide his pride when wearing the Vietnam national team jersey:“I feel very proud and happy to wear the jersey of the U23 Vietnam team. I always strive to give 100% effort in training sessions to showcase the best of myself.

Coach Kim Sang Sik made a notable decision regarding the Vietnam national team after the victory

Despite the big win over Bangladesh, the Vietnam national team still did not receive good news from FIFA