Facing an opponent with the top football in the region, Asian champion and many times participating in the World Cup, U17 Vietnam entered the match with the mentality of conquerors.
Despite conceding an early goal in the 13th minute by Minato Yoshida, coach Cristiano Roland's players were not shaken. They showed a courageous and persistent fighting spirit, defending firmly against constant pressure from the opponent.
The surprise happened in the 90+6 minute of extra time when substitute striker Tran Gia Bao brought home a penalty after breaking into the penalty area and being fouled by the Japanese goalkeeper. At the 11m mark, Gia Bao coolly finished, equalizing 1-1 and bringing home a valuable point for U17 Vietnam.
Right on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month - the Hung Kings' death anniversary, the "golden star warriors" brought a special gift to their hometown fans.
After the match, the FIFA World Cup website posted a picture of the Vietnamese players celebrating the victory with the caption: "A wonderful gift on the anniversary of the death of the ancestors".
Not stopping there, this page also mentioned the historic header by central defender Thanh Binh against Japan in the 1-1 draw in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, as an affirmation of the maturity and development of Vietnamese football when facing the continent's top opponents.
Under the post, thousands of Vietnamese fans left comments thanking FIFA, while expressing pride and hope that the young Vietnamese players can continue to create miracles to win tickets to the U17 World Cup.
Meanwhile, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) praised coach Cristiano Roland's tactics. "It was a calculated and accurate decision when he brought Gia Bao - a player with good physique - onto the field in the final minutes. And indeed, that choice helped U17 Vietnam turn the situation around in the most important moment," the AFC homepage wrote.
AFC also noted that this is the second consecutive time Gia Bao has been used from the bench as a tactical card by the Brazilian coach, and both times he has left his mark. Coach Roland's sophisticated tactical operation is helping Vietnam U17 surpass expectations, creating a unique identity with flexibility, discipline and an unyielding fighting spirit.
Currently, after two matches, U17 Vietnam is ranked 3rd with 2 points, behind Japan (4 points) and UAE (3 points). Australia is ranked last with 1 point.
With the current situation, all 4 teams in Group B still have a chance to win tickets to the 2025 U17 World Cup. Coach Cristiano Roland and his team will make history if they win against U17 UAE in the final match taking place at 10:00 p.m. on April 10.
Trong Dat
Source: https://tienphong.vn/fifa-afc-chuc-mung-tran-hoa-kien-cuong-cua-u17-viet-nam-post1731918.tpo
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