Coach Cristiano Roland: U17 Vietnam deserves the ticket to continue

Coach Cristiano Roland expressed his happiness and said that U17 Vietnam deserved to pass the 2025 U17 Asian qualifiers.

Coach Cristiano Roland celebrates with fans after Vietnam U17 qualified for the 2025 AFC U17 Championship. Photo: Minh Dan

With a 1-1 draw against U17 Yemen on the evening of October 27, U17 Vietnam officially qualified for the 2025 AFC U17 Championship as one of the 5 best second-placed teams. In Group I, U17 Vietnam earned 5 points after 1 win and 2 draws. Coach Cristiano Roland could not hide his happiness after this result.   The Brazilian coach believes that the result of Vietnam U17 entering the 2025 AFC U17 Finals is completely worthy of the performance and efforts of the young players.

"The most important goal was to qualify and we did it. The coaching staff is very happy, we have always believed in the players from the first days until now. They are very deserving. After each match, we prepare for the next match. The result of the previous match between U17 Myanmar and U17 Kyrgyzstan was very important for us to calculate the direction. In today's match, all the players understood, controlled the match, and had a good game. They are very deserving, the important thing is to get a ticket to the final round", coach Cristiano Roland shared in the press conference after the match.

U17 Vietnam advanced as one of the five second-place teams with good results. Photo: Minh Dan

When asked to evaluate specific players in the Vietnam U17 squad, coach Cristiano Roland said: “Preparation for the future must be done every day. We have to practice every day, whether at the club or the national team. In my position, I can only choose the best players at each time. The important thing is that the players show adaptability, eagerness to learn, and diligence. Of course, every day will have variables, the important thing is how we adapt to adapt and have the best preparation. I evaluate my players as very smart, knowing how to handle the match, knowing what to do to achieve the goal of participating in the U17 Asian Finals. All players have their own strengths. My job is to use which players in which positions, at what times to get the best results.” Having completed the task of qualifying, coach Cristiano Roland did not forget to thank the audience for cheering on the journey of U17 Vietnam in the 2025 U17 Asian qualifiers. He said: "Thank you to the fans who came to cheer not only in today's match but also in other matches. Today, at the end of the match, the most important thing is that the players were smart, handled and controlled the match, knowing what to do to achieve the goal of reaching the final round. At the end of the match, I still felt the affection of the audience for the team. He said that the fans always came to the stadium in large numbers, contributing to the overall results of the whole team. The Brazilian coach also thanked the Vietnam Football Federation for their maximum support in training trips, and the locality for creating good conditions for U17 Vietnam to complete the goal.

Head coach of U17 Yemen - Mr. Samer Saleh shared at the press conference. Photo: Internet.

Meanwhile, head coach of U17 Yemen - Mr. Samer Saleh said: “I congratulate U17 Vietnam for getting a ticket to the 2025 AFC U17 Championship Finals. We wanted to control the ball a lot but this was a difficult match. The second half was very tactical, everyone wanted to keep the ball a lot. This group is not easy. U17 Yemen and U17 Vietnam both performed well. We wanted to reduce the pressure that Vietnam caused. We have completed the goal of topping the group and winning a ticket to the next round”./.

Le Quang