Coach Hoang Anh Tuan believes U17 Vietnam can squeeze through the narrow door

Thailand coach Hoang Anh Tuan expects Vietnamese players to show a different side against Uzbekistan in the final round of Group D of the AFC U17 Championship on June 23.

After drawing 1-1 with India in the opening match, Vietnam suffered a 0-4 defeat to Japan in the second match of Group D. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan wants his players to quickly overcome this defeat, to take on Uzbekistan. "I am not satisfied with the recent loss, but the chance to pass the group stage is still there," Mr. Tuan said at a press conference before the match this afternoon. "I encourage the players to forget the loss, to focus best on the match against Uzbekistan."

Vietnam U17 (red shirt) lost to Japan U17 (blue shirt) 0-4 in the second match of the 2023 AFC U17 Championship group stage. Photo: AFC — Vietnam U17 (red shirt) lost to Japan U17 (blue shirt) 0-4 in the second match of the 2023 AFC U17 Championship group stage. Photo: *AFC*

The coach of U17 Vietnam said that he has prepared carefully for the tournament, with different tactics for each opponent. He hopes his players will play with concentration to get through the narrow door.

Vietnam finished bottom of Group D with one point and a goal difference of -4. India finished third with one point and a goal difference of -1. Japan finished first with the same four points as Uzbekistan but had a better goal difference of +4 compared to +1.

If the teams are tied on points in the 2023 AFC U17 Championship group stage, the head-to-head record will be considered first. Next are goal difference, number of goals scored and fair-play points (based on penalty cards). The necessary condition for Vietnam to enter the quarter-finals is to beat Uzbekistan, while the sufficient condition depends on the result of the match between Japan and India at the same time.

Vietnam will advance to the quarter-finals if they beat Uzbekistan, while India lose to Japan. If Vietnam and India both win, then all four teams will have four points and goal difference will be used to decide.

In case India beat Japan 1-0 and Vietnam beat Uzbekistan 4-0, Japan will still be in first place with a goal difference of +3, Uzbekistan will be in last place with a goal difference of -3. Vietnam and India have a goal difference of 0 but Vietnam will be in second place due to a higher number of goals (5 vs 2).

Hieu Luong

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