3 draws against three very strong opponents, Australia, Japan and the UAE, especially the emotional match against the West Asian representative in the final match of the group stage on the night of April 10 (Vietnam time) depicted a generation of players full of potential and courage.
In the final match of the group stage, U17 Vietnam played bravely against U17 UAE - a team that was rated higher in terms of physical strength, technique and experience in the match. After scoring the opening goal in the 23rd minute thanks to Duy Khang, coach Cristiano Roland's students showed resilience throughout the first half.
However, due to the increasing pressure in the second half and the decline in physical strength, U17 Vietnam let the opponent equalize 1-1. This draw was not enough to qualify for the next round, causing the team to finish the group in last place with 3 points after 3 draws.
However, what remains is not only regret, but also the growing confidence in the hearts of fans and experts.
Veteran commentator Quang Tung shared his regret when Vietnamese youth football missed the opportunity to win a ticket to the 2025 U17 World Cup finals. He said: "What U17 Vietnam has shown has made commendable progress and we have almost reached the World Cup. After the U20 team, this time the U17 team has a chance to go to the World Cup, but unfortunately that did not happen even though we are very close to that goal".
Looking at the group situation, it is easy to see that U17 Vietnam is the team that is rated the least when facing the top continental football regions such as Japan, Australia or the UAE. However, the young players surprised everyone with their brave fighting spirit and disciplined play. Winning a draw against all 3 opponents who are rated much higher proved the steadiness and bravery of this generation of players.
Although U17 Vietnam is considered the weakest in Group B, it still plays confidently and causes many difficulties for the teams that are rated higher.
According to commentator Quang Tung, coach Roland and his colleagues in the coaching staff have given their students confidence throughout the journey.
However, the immature experience and physical weakness are still the problem that does not have a thorough solution to young Vietnamese football.The match against the UAE is a typical example when U17 Vietnam cannot maintain the advantage of leading the table at the end of the match and must accept leaving the tournament with regret.
Commentator Quang Tung acknowledged: "The experience and competitive experience of U17 Vietnam is not good enough.The second is the physical problem, the players have not accumulated enough.The quality of our players is just like that.Therefore, when playing with high intensity before the big opponents, the team is not really good."
However, with what has been shown, the current U17 generation deserves to be expected to be the foundation for the future of the country's football. "In any case, this is still a remarkable performance. This is the basis for creating great confidence for this generation and coach Roland to continue to strive to go further in their career path, commentator Quang Tung affirmed.
Not only the story of a tournament, but more broadly, that is the way that Vietnamese football needs to aim for: Sustainable development from the young generation, proper investment and long-term strategy.
I believe that if we do it thoroughly and thoroughly among young people, one generation after another, I believe we will have enough confidence to face the challenges in the future, commentator Quang Tung concluded.
