Back to the ground
U17 Vietnam had a favorable start at the 2026 AFC U17 Championship finals when they defeated U17 Yemen with a score of 1-0. However, immediately after that, coach Cristiano Roland asked his players to "return to earth", because he saw the problems that remained after the recent performance.
It is not difficult to recognize that U17 Vietnam's finishing ability is still limited. Many situations of putting the ball in 1/3 of the opponent's field in the first half were not converted into goals by Sy Bach, Dai Nhan and Van Duong.
Center forward Dai Nhan also left a big worry when he has only scored 1 goal in the past 2 months. Against the not-too-strong defense of U17 Yemen, he had 2 clear chances but both were unsuccessful.
Van Duong and Sy Bach themselves also experienced a match that did not meet expectations, especially when referring to their performance at the U17 Southeast Asian Championship.
Therefore, coach Roland requested the U17 Vietnam attack to focus, strive and cherish opportunities. The lesson of wasting opportunities at the Asian tournament 1 year ago that made U17 Vietnam's World Cup dream unfinished is still present in the statement of the Brazilian coach.
In addition to the problem in attack, Mr. Roland and his assistants are also carefully training the defense. Defenders Anh Hao, Dang Khoa, Manh Cuong, Hoang Viet and goalkeeper Xuan Hoa have actually stood firm in the opening match against U17 Yemen.
However, unlike the Southeast Asian tournament, when stepping into the continental arena, even if it is just a mid-range opponent like Yemen, the "wall" of U17 Vietnam still reveals dangerous gaps.
If the opponent had a few more skilled strikers, goalkeeper Xuan Hoa's goal might not have stood firm after 90 official minutes.
Feasible target
U17 Korea is at a much higher level than U17 Yemen, even though they only got a draw against U17 UAE.
Looking at the performance in the opening match, U17 South Korea completely controlled the game. The ball possession rate of this team reached 69% - double what U17 UAE did.
Moreover, U17 Korea also launched up to 15 shots, 3 times more when compared to West Asian opponents. Unfortunately, their ability to convert opportunities is not good.
However, that does not mean that U17 Korea will face difficulties when playing against U17 Vietnam. Having only 1 point after the opening match makes Ahn Joo-wan and his teammates more determined to aim for the first victory for the home team. Anh Joo-wan himself is also the most dangerous "explosive" on the side of the East Asian representative.
Against a stronger opponent in stature, experience and level like U17 Korea, 1 point is considered a feasible goal for coach Roland's team in the match taking place at 11:00 PM tonight (May 10).
