Before the 2026 AFC U17 Championship finals kick off, coach Cristiano Roland identified the key task as winning, instead of just aiming for safe results.
The lesson from last year's tournament is still valuable. At that time, U17 Vietnam had 3 draws against strong opponents such as U17 Japan, U17 UAE and Australia, but it was not enough to get through the group stage. The lack of decisive victories caused the team to stop early and miss the opportunity to participate in the U17 World Cup.
Returning to the continental arena with a new force, U17 Vietnam changed their approach to the match in a more proactive direction. Against U17 Yemen, the players maintained an attacking game for most of the time. The difference was created in the 77th minute when Dau Quang Hung scored the only goal to bring back all 3 points.
This is the first victory of U17 Vietnam at the continental tournament in 10 years. At the tournament a decade ago, the team passed the group stage thanks to 2 wins against U17 Australia and U17 Kyrgyzstan, but stopped in the quarterfinals after losing to U17 Iran. At that time, the number of slots to participate in the U17 World Cup was limited, only for the 4 strongest teams.
Currently, the format has changed in an expanded direction. The number of Asian teams participating in the U17 World Cup has increased significantly, meaning that just by passing the group stage, they can win tickets. In that context, the victory over U17 Yemen helps U17 Vietnam have a great advantage in the race to continue.
To date, U17 Vietnam through various periods has had 9 victories after 32 matches at the AFC U17 Championship, scoring 36 goals and conceding 71 times.
