U17 Vietnam holds defending champion U17 Japan to a draw: Brave and deserving

1. Although they drew with another strong opponent in the group, U17 Australia, in the opening match, not many people thought U17 Vietnam could do the same against the defending champion U17 Japan in the second match.

This assessment is realistic, because the tradition, professional foundation and extremely hot performance in the overwhelming 4-1 victory over U17 UAE of the cherry blossom team far exceeds the ability of coach Cristiano Roland's students.

But, the unthinkable happened, U17 Vietnam forced the defending champion U17 Japan to share points and could not get a ticket to the U17 World Cup early. With a rare and lucky chance on the 11m mark that Gia Bao successfully executed in the 6th minute of extra time, U17 Vietnam created an extraordinary thing: holding the defending champion U17 Japan to a draw.

U17 Vietnam had a brave match against U17 Japan. Photo: Anh Doan

2. Similar to the opening match, U17 Vietnam was forced to play on the field by their opponents for most of the official match time. There was a time when U17 Japan, in addition to controlling the game, holding the ball possession time up to 70%, also scored the opening goal in the 13th minute.

However, despite the pressure and the moment of conceding an early goal from a set piece, U17 Vietnam still played the way coach Cristiano Roland required: Disciplined, cherishing every move...

The red team's cohesive play, reasonable formation distance, and good protection for each other caused Japan U17 to encounter an extremely solid defense. Therefore, even though the defending champion wanted to score another goal in the first half, they could not do so successfully.

Most of the defending champions' combinations were blocked from quite a distance, the most dangerous situations that Japan U17 could create were mainly dead balls with corner kicks.

3. With the performance against U17 Japan, it is clear that U17 Vietnam's draw was completely deserved. The red team played with a brave spirit, at the same time making great progress in terms of expertise.

And forced U17 Japan to share points in the second match of the U17 Asian tournament. Photo: Anh Doan

Coach Cristiano Roland's players played more pragmatically and with more intention than in the opening match. Their fighting spirit also clearly matured, as evidenced by their confident counter-attacks and their alertness and tenacity in the penalty kick at the end of the match. Therefore, it is understandable that U17 Vietnam successfully held U17 Japan to a draw.

Of course, it must be said that Japan U17 did not necessarily give 100% of their strength, especially when they took the lead early. However, with the evidence shown in the match, coach Cristiano Roland can be completely satisfied and proud of his players.

Holding U17 Japan to a draw is not simply a matter of gaining more points to keep the hope of winning a World Cup ticket for U17 Vietnam alive. It is also an affirmation of the big changes from U17 Vietnam, because the young players dare to play football, show confidence and bravery against stronger opponents and are ready to continue writing fairy tales at the U17 Asian tournament.

Vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/u17-viet-nam-cam-hoa-dkvd-u17-nhat-ban-qua-cam-va-xung-dang-2388785.html