Dropping victory at the last minute, U17 Vietnam's dream of participating in the 2025 U17 World Cup was shattered

U17 Vietnam was eliminated after the opponent scored an equalizer in the 87th minute - Photo: VFF

Despite being in a must-win position, U17 Vietnam still started the game slowly. They slowly passed the ball back and forth on their home field, not rushing to advance. Many times the ball was returned to goalkeeper Hoa Xuan Tin instead of being deployed up front. This seemingly deadlocked style of play actually worked.

After about 15 minutes, U17 Vietnam started to accelerate, surprising the opponent. The first warning shot came in the 20th minute, when Viet Long dribbled boldly on the right wing and then passed the ball inside. U17 Vietnam created 2 shots but both were blocked before the goal line.

Just 2 minutes later, coach Cristiano Roland's team opened the scoring. Still on the right wing, Duc Duy crossed accurately for Duy Khang to finish with one touch, making the U17 UAE net explode. With the goal, U17 Vietnam returned to its familiar defensive counter-attacking style of play.

The solid and disciplined defense was effective in neutralizing many attacks by UAE U17. The opponent's shots mostly came from difficult positions, not causing much danger to goalkeeper Hoa Xuan Tin.

In the second half, U17 UAE continued to put pressure. Long passes did not bring much effect when the U17 Vietnam defense read the situation well. Individual handling only helped strikers like Khamis and Esam to send the ball into the sky. As time passed, U17 Vietnam seemed to be getting closer to the ticket to the next round as well as to participate in the U17 World Cup 2025.

However, coach Roland and his team lost because of their inherent weakness in the air. From a cross from a teammate, a UAE U17 player penetrated and passed the ball inside. Hazaa Faisal, with his physical advantage, easily pressed and put the ball into an empty net in the 87th minute.

Conceding a goal at the end of the match left U17 Vietnam unable to react. With a 1-1 draw, U17 Vietnam sadly said goodbye to the 2025 AFC U17 Championship, missing out on a ticket to the U17 World Cup for the first time in history.

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QUOC THANG - DUC KHUE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/danh-roi-chien-thang-phut-cuoi-u17-viet-nam-vo-mong-du-u17-world-cup-2025-20250410152631209.htm