U17 Vietnam unfortunately missed the ticket to the World Cup

U17 Vietnam fought with all their might and were just minutes away from a World Cup ticket. The goal conceded in the 87th minute shattered the hopes of coach Cristiano Roland and his team.

With 3 points after 3 matches, U17 Vietnam is at the bottom of the table, thus unable to participate in the quarter-finals of the Asian tournament and also missed the ticket to the U17 World Cup for the first time in history. Meanwhile, UAE with 1 point won against Vietnam, also sadly was eliminated. The 2 tickets to the next round of the group belong to Japan and Australia respectively.

Despite being eliminated, U17 Vietnam can still hold their heads high, as they have an undefeated record in the group considered the most difficult of the tournament. Duy Khang and his teammates only lacked a bit of luck to make a miracle in the continental arena.

Ranking of teams in group B.

Vietnam U17 entered the match with confidence against a highly rated opponent. In the 8th minute, Chu Ngoc Nguyen Luc created a chaotic situation in front of the UAE goal. The Middle Eastern representative's defense played awkwardly but no player in red shirt was able to get in and finish.

In the 21st minute, U17 Vietnam almost opened the score. After a cross from the right wing by Viet Long, Nguyen Luc rushed forward to finish, making the UAE goalkeeper unable to catch the ball. Hoang Trong Duy Khang was there to rebound but still could not bring home a goal.

Coach Cristiano Roland did not have to regret for long. Just 2 minutes after the miss, Duy Khang chose the right position to volley from close range, sending the ball past goalkeeper Mohamed and into the net. Number 7 scored his second goal at this year's Asian tournament. Before that, he also scored an important goal to help U17 Vietnam hold Australia to a draw.

U17 Vietnam played impressively against UAE. Photo: VFF.

In the rest of the first half, UAE U17 tried to push up the formation but could not find a way to approach Xuan Tin's goal. The Middle Eastern representative had to wait until the extra minute to have their first shot on target. However, Mohamed Gamal's effort was easily cleared by the Vietnam U17 goalkeeper.

Confidence was maintained by U17 Vietnam in the first minutes of the second half. Right at the 48th minute, an opportunity opened up for Hong Phong. The kick from outside the penalty area by number 8 sent the ball wide of the goal.

After a period of lackluster play, No. 9 Mayed Mubarak continuously approached the U17 Vietnam goal. In the 53rd and 60th minutes, the 1.87 m tall striker of the UAE had 2 close-range shots. However, Xuan Tin still played with concentration to keep the net safe. In the 62nd minute, U17 Vietnam escaped defeat after right-back Salem Esam ran up and shot over the bar.

U17 Vietnam played resiliently under pressure from their opponents. Photo: VFF.

As time passed, the UAE U17 team showed more impatience. In the 76th and 86th minutes, a series of players in blue surrounded the referee, demanding a penalty. However, all the Middle Eastern team received were yellow cards for Mennad and Mayed Mubarak.

The U17 Vietnam defense played well for most of the match, but just a moment of distraction, Xuan Tin had to pick the ball out of the net. In the 88th minute, after Jayden Adetiba tried to send the ball in from the back, Hazaa Mahdi headed in from close range, bringing the match back to the starting line.

The short period of time was not enough for the red team to turn the situation around. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.