Arousing belief for young players
There's nothing to cry about!", Chairman of the Vietnam Football Federation - Tran Quoc Tuan said to the U17 Vietnam players in the dressing room right after the 1-4 defeat to U17 Korea.
U17 Vietnam led 1-0 in more than 80 minutes of play. However, lack of concentration and inexperience caused Sy Bach and his teammates to concede 4 consecutive goals in just the last 10 minutes of the match.
At the age of 15, 16, still not yet psychologically stable, plus the first defeat after a streak of 11 unbeaten matches, coach Cristiano Roland's students cannot avoid disappointment and a somewhat fluctuating spirit.
Tears fell when U17 Vietnam players entered the tunnel. Many boys covered their faces in sadness when missing the opportunity to attend the U17 World Cup 1 round before the match. The atmosphere at that time with U17 Vietnam decreased significantly.
At that time, the presence of Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan - Chairman of the Vietnam Football Federation - who has gone through many ups and downs with national football - brought great support. Mr. Tuan approached each member of U17 Vietnam, from assistants to players.
The handshakes, head strokes and words of encouragement from Chairman Tran Quoc Tuan are like a way to revive the belief that is shaking young players.
In football, even the big brothers in the national team have stumbled. The important thing is that we still have opportunities. There are times of failure without the opportunity to correct mistakes. But there are times when we can still change and still have the right to self-determination," Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan emphasized.
Great lesson to move towards a big match
Besides words of encouragement, VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan also drew a big lesson for young players to focus more, avoiding repeating mistakes before entering the decisive match against U17 UAE in the last round of the group stage.
This is a very necessary thing that you must try to overcome. In football, the match does not end until the final whistle blows. We are leading but there was a time when we played passively. However, everyone can redo it because there is still one more match ahead," Mr. Tuan said.
Looking back at the regrettable defeat to U17 Korea, U17 Vietnam pointed out the very objective shortcomings of youth football. The innocence, not having much international experience, was clearly shown in the second goal conceded, when the entire defense stood still because they thought the opponent's player was offside.
Competition psychology also fluctuated because of this, leading to a disorder in the defense organization afterwards, leading to 2 more goals conceded by U17 Vietnam.
For the coaching staff, this is also the next big lesson for coach Roland and his colleagues. It is undeniable that U17 Vietnam has brought a modern, dedicated playing style, but the Brazilian coach needs to pay more attention to regulating the psychology of the match, especially in the period when players are easily fluctuated and reduce concentration at the end of the match.
1 year ago, U17 Vietnam unfortunately drew with U17 UAE and dropped the ticket to the U17 World Cup 2025. That draw plus the defeat to U17 Korea was both a "heartbreak", but also an experience for Mr. Roland and the players to return stronger in the following matches.
Most importantly, U17 Vietnam can still correct mistakes. As Chairman Tran Quoc Tuan said, the team still has the right to self-determination if they defeat U17 UAE. Instead of being sad after a match that could not be changed, look towards the future with a positive result against the West Asian representative.
“Everything can be redone because there is still one more match ahead! ”, VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan, coach Roland and all U17 Vietnam players expressed their determination.
