Coach Cristiano Roland of Vietnam U17: 'A well-deserved win and we are a strong team'

TPO - Winning a ticket to the 2026 AFC U17 Championship after a 4-0 victory over U17 Malaysia, coach Cristiano Roland said that this result is an affirmation that U17 Vietnam is a strong team.

Photo: Anh Thang

Looking back at the 4-0 victory over U17 Malaysia, which helped U17 Vietnam finish the 2026 AFC U17 Championship qualifiers with an all-win record, coach Cristiano Roland said: “We deserved to win. Today we made history, this moment is very beautiful for every member of the team. After U17 Vietnam took a 2-goal lead, I asked the young players to control their emotions. There were situations where they pushed forward because of their great desire to contribute."

He added: "Personally, I am very happy to have achieved the results I have just achieved. My goal is to play well in each match. During the training process, I try to prepare the young players for the path to take. I am very happy to create a path that the team believes in. Today's results show that U17 Vietnam is a strong team."

Commenting on Nguyen Manh Cuong, who was voted the best player of the match, coach Cristiano Roland said: "He plays with his left foot better than I thought. I think Cuong will develop and become the future of the national team. The players have shown that they have a promising future. That is great for Vietnamese football."

Photo: Anh Thang

Meanwhile, U17 Malaysia coach Javier Jorda Ribera shared: "Before the match, I thought U17 Malaysia could compete for a ticket to the 2026 AFC U17 Championship with U17 Vietnam. At the beginning of the first half, we had clear chances but could not score, then unfortunately conceded a goal. Before the break, U17 Malaysia continued to concede another goal because U17 Vietnam played very strongly.

In the second half, we kept the same spirit, wanted to score but couldn't, then conceded another goal. I'm very sorry about this result. U17 Vietnam is the top team in Group C. I think U17 Malaysia could have played better, but the home team played hard and dedicatedly, their coach and players knew what to do."

Thus, Coach Roland's team has officially secured a ticket to the 2026 AFC U17 Championship with the top position in Group C, scoring 30 goals and conceding none. This is also the 5th consecutive time we have qualified for the AFC U17 Championship.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/hlv-cristiano-roland-cua-u17-viet-nam-mot-tran-thang-xung-dang-va-chung-toi-la-mot-tap-the-manh-post1800812.tpo