U.17 Vietnam deserves it

Vietnam U17 has won a ticket to the 2025 AFC U17 Championship finals, as one of the five best second-placed teams in the qualifying round. The 1-1 draw against Yemen U17 on the evening of October 27 at Phu Tho Stadium was not a pleasing result as coach Cristiano Roland's players played like a "ghost" in the second half, but for the Vietnam U17 strategist, the result is the most important thing.

"The goal of U.17 Vietnam is of course to pass the qualifying round. That is the most important thing. I am very happy and excited. From the first day, I always believed in the players and they really deserved this result.

The victory of U.17 Myanmar is also important to our calculations. Today all the players tried their best. They understood what they needed to do, how to control the game. The most important thing is that U.17 Vietnam has reached the final round," Coach Roland shared after the match.

U17 Vietnam let Yemen score the opening goal in the 13th minute. After that, the efforts of coach Roland and his team helped them equalize. In the 30th minute, from a set piece with a free kick by Dau Hong Phong, U.17 Vietnam scored a goal after an accurate shot by Le Huy Viet Anh. With this draw, coach Roland's students have 5 points after 3 matches. After deducting the record with the last-placed team, U.17 Vietnam has 4 points, in the second best group.

U.17 Vietnam players are very smart

When asked to evaluate specific players in the Vietnam U17 squad, Coach Roland said: "Preparation for the future must be done every day. We must practice every day, whether at the club or the national team. In my position, I can only choose the best players at each time. The important thing is that the players show adaptability, eagerness to learn, and diligence.

Of course, every day will have variables, the important thing is how we react to adapt and have the best preparation. I think my players are very smart, know how to handle the match, know what to do to achieve the goal of reaching the U.17 Asian finals. All players have their own strengths. My job is to use which players in which positions, at what times to get the best results."

On the other side of the front line, coach Samer Saleh of U.17 Yemen affirmed: "I congratulate U.17 Vietnam for getting a ticket to the 2025 U.17 Asian finals. We wanted to control the ball a lot but this was a difficult match. The second half was a very tactical match, everyone wanted to keep the ball a lot.

This group is not easy. U.17 Yemen and U.17 Vietnam both performed well. We want to reduce the pressure caused by U.17 Vietnam and complete the goal of topping the group."