Pre-match information
U17 Vietnam enters the opening match of the 2026 AFC U17 Championship finals with no small pressure when the opponent is U17 Yemen, a team considered to have a direct impact on the race to win tickets to the next round.
Under the guidance of coach Cristiano Roland, U17 Vietnam is showing many positive signs. The young team has won all matches in the U17 Asian Cup qualifiers, scoring 30 goals and not conceding any goals. After that, Sy Bach and his teammates continued to win the U17 Southeast Asian Championship 2026 with stable form.
Compared to before, U17 Vietnam's playing style has changed when maintaining better pressure, proactively controlling the ball and no longer tending to retreat deep to protect the score too early. The coaching staff also focused on improving the ability to switch positions, support defense and finishing efficiency in recent training sessions.
Coach Roland repeatedly reiterated the lesson at the 2025 Asian Championship, when U17 Vietnam drew all 3 matches but was still eliminated. Therefore, the goal in the match against U17 Yemen is not only to play well but also to aim for victory.
On the other side, U17 Yemen is a difficult opponent for Vietnamese youth football. The two teams once drew 1-1 in the U17 Asian Cup qualifiers, even U17 Vietnam also lost to this opponent in a friendly match before.
The West Asian representative also won all 5 matches in this year's qualifiers. The strength of U17 Yemen is fast counter-attacks and the ability to create breakthroughs from many positions.
However, this team also has problems with force and preparation time before the tournament, unable to call up full personnel as planned.
