Unfortunate result
U17 Vietnam is preparing to enter the 2026 AFC U17 Championship finals with the hope of a ticket to the U17 World Cup. In the previous qualifiers, coach Roland's team won all 5 matches, scored 30 goals and did not concede a goal. Recently, at the 2026 AFC U17 Championship, U17 Vietnam won the championship with 4 wins, 1 draw, scored 19 goals and only conceded 1 goal.
However, that does not mean that U17 Vietnam will go smoothly at the 2026 AFC U17 Championship, especially when in the same group with U17 Korea, U17 UAE and U17 Yemen. Therefore, in recent days, coach Roland has meticulously studied each opponent, narrowing down the goal for U17 Vietnam to win 4 points or more if they do not want to recreate the image of 1 year ago.
At that time, in Saudi Arabia, U17 Vietnam was in the same group with U17 Japan, U17 Australia and U17 UAE teams. The team played bravely to draw with Australia and Japan. Everyone dreamed of the opportunity to win 1 of the top 2 positions in the group, synonymous with a ticket to the U17 World Cup, but the final match with U17 UAE did not go as expected.
On the night of April 10, 2025, U17 Vietnam played overwhelmingly against the West Asian representative in the early stages of the match, creating 2 shots right on the goal line. In the 22nd minute, U17 Vietnam got what they needed with a goal by Hoang Trong Duy Khang.
However, from then on, U17 Vietnam also tried to preserve the fragile gap. It is undeniable that the defense played disciplined and solidly for most of the remaining time. Ironically, the inherent weakness from aerial ball defense was revealed in the 87th minute.
From a teammate's cross, a U17 UAE player broke in and crossed inside, creating conditions for Hazaa Faisal with his physical advantage to easily press before putting the ball into the net. The remaining time was too little for Mr. Roland's team to change the situation.
3 points after 3 matches against strong teams at the AFC U17 Championship is not bad. But that is not enough for U17 Vietnam to win a ticket to the U17 World Cup for the first time in history.
Experience from a big lesson
Football always has unexpected developments in the last minute. We have prepared very carefully for this important match. The players played with all their strength and solidarity. It's a pity they couldn't go further," coach Roland once shared when his team's defeat was at the threshold of history.
Anyway, with the regulations from FIFA and member organizations, U17 teams around the world will compete for World Cup tickets for 5 consecutive years. This is an opportunity for U17 Vietnam to stand up and seek opportunities after the first unfinished match. As analyzed, U17 Vietnam with the 2009 generation of players is steadily advancing to the continental youth tournament.
Coach Roland himself also realized that a 1-goal difference has never been a safe limit in big matches. That is also the reason why in the matches at the recent Southeast Asian tournament, he continuously asked his students to push up the attack, maintain intensity in the opponent's half, even when they had already taken the lead. This helps U17 Vietnam consolidate their chances of winning.
Besides, Mr. Roland also does not advocate a draw with U17 Vietnam. In the draw against U17 Indonesia at the Southeast Asian tournament, the Brazilian coach was not satisfied. He made specific requests to the strikers, especially in finishing to better utilize opportunities in front of the opponent's goal.
In response to the task assigned by the captain, Van Duong, Nguyen Luc, Sy Bach, Dai Nhan... contributed 5 goals in 2 victories against U17 Australia, U17 Malaysia in the semi-finals and finals of the regional tournament.
The 2026 AFC U17 Championship finals have a slight change in the tournament regulations. The host of the U17 World Cup - Qatar will participate in the tournament. If Qatar wins a direct ticket to the World Cup (equivalent to the top or second place in the group), the relegation ticket will belong to the best 3rd place team. This helps U17 Vietnam to make more efforts in accumulating points to goal difference.
