U17 Vietnam held U17 Australia to a 1-1 draw in their opening match of the 2025 AFC U17 Asian Cup. Fueled by determination - and a bit of luck - this result offers coach Cristiano Roland and his squad a much-needed morale boost as they pursue their dream of reaching the U17 World Cup.

A fortunate draw

While U17 Vietnam entered the match as clear underdogs against the physically and tactically superior Australian side, fans still hoped for a surprise result in the tournament’s opening round.

To their delight, those hopes were realized. Despite Australia’s dominance on the pitch, Vietnam’s resilience and relentless spirit earned them a crucial point.

Looking at the match statistics and the flow of the game, the result was indeed unexpected. U17 Australia consistently controlled possession, pressed high, and created far more scoring opportunities throughout the match.

The young Aussies were particularly unlucky, hitting the crossbar three times and missing several clear chances. In contrast, U17 Vietnam managed only a few attempts, yet capitalized on one to score a somewhat fortunate goal through Duy Khang.

Flickers of hope

The most notable highlight for U17 Vietnam wasn’t technical mastery but rather the fighting spirit and admirable determination when faced with a stronger opponent.

From a tactical perspective, however, coach Cristiano Roland’s team will need to make significant improvements in their next two group stage matches - against Japan and the UAE - to keep their U17 World Cup aspirations alive.

Vietnam’s defensive structure showed clear weaknesses. The team allowed too much space in front of goalkeeper Xuan Tin, which directly led to two of Australia’s shots that struck the crossbar.

Their transition game and attacking coordination were also below par. Had those areas been sharper, Vietnam might have scored more than once - or at least avoided the regret of a late strike that also hit the post.

Frequent counterattacks lacked support and were hampered by poor decision-making and slow execution, making it easy for Australia to neutralize them.

Nonetheless, this valuable point gives U17 Vietnam a mental lift and keeps their hopes alive for advancing to the next round - where a top-four finish in the tournament would secure a ticket to the 2025 U17 World Cup in Qatar this November.

Duy Nguyen