Goal success
The 1-1 draw against U17 Yemen in the final match of Group I of the 2025 AFC U17 Championship qualifying round on the evening of October 27 at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho) helped the Vietnam U17 team win a place in the 2025 AFC U17 Championship finals.
Coach Cristiano Roland and his team have a ticket to Saudi Arabia next year as one of the five best second-placed teams with 4 points (after deducting the points from the match against the bottom team in Group I, U17 Kyrgyzstan).
After the final match against U17 Yemen, the captain of U17 Vietnam affirmed: "The goal of the whole team was to qualify. We have achieved the goal and I am very happy. I always believed in the players from the very beginning and they had a successful tournament."
In terms of goals, this was a successful tournament for Gia Bao and his teammates. The Vietnam U17 team played 3 matches, won 1 (2-0 against Myanmar U17) and drew 2 (0-0 against Kyrgyzstan U17 and 1-1 against Yemen U17).
In fact, the young players have been confident in their playing style, daring to hold the ball, coordinate and actively control the game. The rhythm of the ball has been built, the connection and coherence have also appeared, helping the players to be confident, develop the ball and score goals.
The efforts of the U17 Vietnam players at the tournament and the ticket to the Asian finals are very commendable.
More notably, the achievements of coach Roland and his team are a rare bright spot in Vietnamese football since the beginning of 2024, after a series of failures from the national team level (eliminated from the Asian Cup, eliminated in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup) to youth teams such as U16 (lost 0-5 to Indonesia in the third place match of the U16 Southeast Asian tournament) or U19 (eliminated from the Southeast Asian tournament after only the first 2 matches)...
Much work to do
In just a short time in charge, coach Roland has brought a new breeze and improved the team with a runner-up finish in a friendly tournament in China before winning a spot in the 2025 Asian finals.
However, to aim for the 2025 AFC U17 Championship finals, the Brazilian coach still has a lot of work to do, helping the players improve further. Because, in recent matches, Vietnam U17 revealed problems in finishing. The home team's strikers are still not sharp and sophisticated enough. Nguyen Luc, Van Duong, Hoang Khanh...
The U17 Vietnam strikers must further improve their ball handling in the penalty area and finishing to convert opportunities into goals. In addition, the U17 Vietnam strikers need to ensure a more solid defense. Many times, coach Cristiano Roland's players do not attack, finish or pressure their opponents but only stop at controlling the ball.
Coach Roland emphasized: "Preparation for the future must be done every day. We have to practice every day, whether at the club or the national team. In my position, I can only choose the best player at each moment.
The important thing is that you show adaptability, eagerness to learn, and diligence. Of course, every day will have variables, the important thing is how we adapt and have the best preparation."
The 2025 AFC U17 Qualifiers will provide lessons for the Vietnam U17 team. The coaching staff and young players will need to prepare now for next year's tournament, so that future performances are positive football, can meet fans' expectations for dedication but also ensure the achievements and goals that the team will set.
