Coach Hoang Anh Tuan: 'U17 Vietnam played below par'

Thailand coach Hoang Anh Tuan regretted that Vietnam missed many opportunities and lost the victory against India in the opening match of the 2023 AFC U17 Championship.

At Thammasat Stadium on the evening of June 17, Vietnam opened the scoring in the 44th minute thanks to Le Dinh Long Vu after a well-organized counterattack. However, the team could not maintain the score when they conceded a goal in the 69th minute after a long-range shot by Malemngamba, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

"The importance of the opening match made the players stressed, so they did not play at their best," coach Anh Tuan said at a press conference after the match. "India lost strength towards the end of the match, but Vietnam could not increase the speed of attack and missed opportunities."

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan directs the match between Vietnam and India, 1-1, in the AFC U17 Championship finals at Thammasat Stadium, Bangkok on June 17. Photo: VFF

The coach from Khanh Hoa said that after leading 1-0, Vietnam should have controlled the game. However, the players did not play according to the right tactics, allowing India to control the ball more. "A point is appropriate for both teams based on the developments on the field," said the 55-year-old coach.

Before the tournament, India had two months of training in Germany and Spain. They had the opportunity to compete with the youth teams of Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan assessed that this was a thorough preparation, but the nature of a big tournament like the U17 Asia made India as nervous as Vietnam.

Le Huynh Trieu competes with Indian captain K. Singh. Photo: AFC

Also in Group D, Japan and Uzbekistan drew 1-1. "This group will start from scratch," said the coach of Vietnam U17. "The chance to enter the quarterfinals is still divided equally among the four teams, and I hope Vietnam will have a better approach in the match against Japan."

The Vietnam-Japan match will take place at 5pm on June 20 at Rajamangala Stadium. Japan is the current U17 Asian champion and also the team with the most championships in the tournament.

Hieu Luong

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