In the qualifying round, U17 Vietnam defeated Chinese Taipei, Nepal and host Thailand to win a ticket to the final round with the top spot in Group F after 3 wins.
Coming to the final round, U17 Vietnam is one of 3 teams that AFC highly appreciates for their solid defense when keeping a clean sheet in the qualifying round along with U17 Yemen and U17 Tajikistan. Besides, U17 Vietnam owns 2 players worth watching, Nguyen Cong Phuong and Nguyen Le Phat in this tournament.
In the U17 Vietnam team, Nguyen Cong Phuong played the role of captain in the qualifying round and scored 2 goals to break the deadlock against Nepal and Thailand.
Captain Nguyen Cong Phuong (No. 6) of Vietnam U17 (Photo: VFF)
Before the 2023 U17 Asian Cup finals, Cong Phuong was promoted to play for U19 Viettel with 3 goals (1 goal in the qualifying round, 2 goals in the final round). The 17-year-old player played the role of a playmaker, keeping the rhythm of the match for Viettel , making an important contribution to the National U17 Championship at the beginning of the year.
Not just a simple central midfielder, Cong Phuong is the type of player who often penetrates the penalty area, creates breakthroughs to the opponent's goal and has 4 goals in the U17 final round to win the title of top scorer and best player.
In particular, coach Hoang Anh Tuan once called up this young striker to the U20 Vietnam team to prepare for the U20 Asian Cup finals, but Cong Phuong refused, wishing to play regularly in the National U17 team to gain experience.
Besides Cong Phuong, Nguyen Le Phat is a player who was called up to the U17 team when he was only 15 years old with 2 goals in the 2022 qualifying round. Le Phat is considered a player with good technique, high speed dribbling with dangerous penetrations into the penalty area.
Young player Nguyen Le Phat in the U17 Vietnam shirt (Photo: VFF)
In PVF's shirt, the 16-year-old player scored 3 goals in the National U17. At the National U19 Finals, VPF U19 promoted Le Phat to play, playing regularly like Cong Phuong, but his team could not reach the finals and scored 1 goal in the qualifying round.
In Group D, U17 Japan is the toughest opponent in the group. The "land of the rising sun" team is the defending champion of the tournament and the most successful team in the tournament with 3 championships (1994, 2006 and 2018). Following is U17 Uzbekistan with 1 championship when defeating U17 Japan in the 2012 final.
In this group, U17 India is considered an equal opponent to coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team. This is also the opponent in the opening match and an opportunity for U17 Vietnam to win to create an advantage in spirit and points before facing the remaining 2 teams.
Coach Hoang Anh Tuan at the Group D press conference before entering the tournament
Talking about the opening match against U17 India today, the captain of U17 Vietnam expressed: "This match is very important, I respect all teams, including India. For me, there is no pressure at all. The more fans come to the stadium, the more comfortable I feel. Of course, psychological development is not an easy story for young players. But I understand my players. I hope that the more spectators come, the better U17 Vietnam will play."
In this final round, the top 2 teams in each group will enter the knockout round. The 4 teams in the semi-finals will win a place in the 2023 U17 World Cup at the end of the year.
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