Vietnam’s U17 football team finished fourth after losing to Thailand in a penalty shoot-out in the 2018 Jenesys international tournament, which wrapped up in Japan on October 8.

Vietnam U17 boy’s football team rank fourth after losing to Thailand. (Photo: bongdaplus.vn)

With the physical strength advantage, Thailand opened the scoring in the 25th minute.

Never backing down, Vietnam equalised four minutes from time by a goal scored by Bui Tien Sinh.

Hoverer, in the shoot-out, the Thai squad won six to five.

This was a useful chance for players to prepare for the 2019 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U18 Youth Championship and the qualifying round of the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U19 Championship, said head coach Dinh The Nam.

Hosts Japan won the tournament, defeating U17 Shoshi High School in the final.    

The Jenesys international tournament for U17 teams attracted eight teams divided into two groups. Vietnam was in Group B with Myanmar, Cambodia and the hosts Japan. Group A consisted of Thailand, Laos, Japan’s Shoshi and Japan’s Bellmare.

The event was a youth sport exchange programme with the aim of promoting mutual understanding between Japan and Asian-Pacific countries. The programme also provided a good chance for young players to gain experience in preparation for key upcoming tournaments.-VNA