On the afternoon of November 13 (local time), the U17 Vietnam team ended their training trip in Ehime province (Japan) with a friendly match with U18 Ehime. This is considered the most quality "test" in the preparation journey for the 2026 U17 Asian qualifiers.
U18 Ehime owns a force of many young players from Ehime club, a team competing in J.League 2. Therefore, the opponent has superior qualifications and physique compared to U17 Vietnam.
In order to make the most of the opportunity to compete, coach Cristiano Roland continues to make many adjustments in the starting lineup, thereby testing more tactical options for the upcoming tournament.
Right after the opening whistle, both teams entered the match quickly and enthusiastically. Despite having to face a strong team, U17 Vietnam still maintained a strong lineup and organized a rather sharp counter-attack.
However, in the 34th minute, U18 Ehime took advantage of a defensive mistake to open the score 1-0. Goalkeeper Xuan Hoa blocked the first shot, but was helpless before the home player's subsequent rebound.
In the second half, U17 Vietnam played more confidently, proactively pushing up the formation and creating significant pressure on the opponent's goal. However, while they were struggling to attack, Mr. Roland's students left a gap and were punished by their opponents with a quick counter-attack in the 70th minute, raising the score to 2-0.
Not giving up, U17 Vietnam still persistently searched for opportunities and were rewarded in the 89th minute, when Nguyen Hiep Dai Viet finished neatly in the penalty area to shorten the gap to 1-2. This was also the final result of the match.
Although they could not win, this performance helped U17 Vietnam accumulate a lot of experience in the ability to withstand pressure, change the state and organize attacks.
The team will have another day of training at Ehime before returning home on November 15, ready to enter the final preparation stage for the 2026 U17 Asian qualifiers taking place in Hanoi and Hung Yen from November 22-30.
