On the afternoon of October 17, U17 Vietnam women's team entered the final match of Group D of the 2026 U17 Asian Women's Qualifiers against U17 Hong Kong women's team (China). Right from the start of the match, coach Okiyama Masahiko's students proactively controlled the ball and organized many dangerous attacks from both sides.
U17 Vietnam women's team continuously put pressure on Hong Kong (China)'s defense, but goalkeeper leo Hazel played excellently, refusing scoring opportunities from Linh Chi and Phuong Nghi.
After a stalemate in the first half, the dominating position continued to be maintained by the home team in the second half. The red-shirted girls' continuous attack efforts were rewarded in the 66th minute, when Ngo Hai Yen handled the ball skillfully in the penalty area and then fired a cross-angle shot that knocked down the opponent's goalkeeper, opening the score 1-0 for the U17 Vietnam women's team.
In the remaining minutes, coach Okiyama and his team Masahiko played with concentration, giving Hong Kong (China) no chance to equalize. Although the match had 5 minutes of extra time and goalkeeper leo Hazel was injured and had to lie on the field, the Vietnamese players still maintained a minimal victory until the final whistle.
This victory helped U17 Vietnam women's team win all qualifiers, top Group D and win a direct ticket to the 2026 U17 Asian Women's Cup finals. This is a worthy reward for the efforts of the entire team, and at the same time opens up hope for a generation of talented young players to continue playing Vietnamese women's football in the future.
