After U17 Vietnam defeated U17 Malaysia with a score of 3-0 to win the 2026 Southeast Asian U17 Championship, many newspapers in the region praised the convincing performance of the young Vietnamese team.
Bola newspaper (Indonesia) published an article with the title emphasizing the overwhelming victory of U17 Vietnam against Malaysia. According to the newspaper's assessment, the team led by coach Cristiano Roland soon controlled the game and created an advantage right in the first half.
Although Malaysia tried to find an equalizer, U17 Vietnam's defense still maintained its solidity. Before the first half ended, the goal to increase the score to 2-0 helped the red shirt team create a safe gap.
Meanwhile, Kompas daily assessed that U17 Vietnam showed superiority throughout both halves. In the second half, although Malaysia adjusted the squad and increased pressure, the Vietnamese representative still maintained the initiative. The third goal scored in the second half almost decided the outcome of the final match.
According to Kompas, although Malaysia did not give up and continued to try to find opportunities, the tightly organized defense of U17 Vietnam made it difficult for the opponent. Even, coach Cristiano Roland's team created some more dangerous opportunities at the end of the match.
Regional media believes that U17 Vietnam's victory clearly reflects the superiority in organization of play, ability to take advantage of opportunities and bravery in the final match. This is also considered a testament to the progress of Vietnamese youth football in Southeast Asia.
With a stable performance from the group stage to the final match, U17 Vietnam won the championship convincingly, and left a positive impression in the eyes of the media and regional fans.
