Japanese media compares U17 Vietnam's draw to "extremely bitter medicine"

On the evening of April 7, Japan U17 was rated as superior when facing Vietnam U17. This team has achieved good results against the world's top opponents, most recently a draw with Spain.

However, U17 Vietnam had a brave 1-1 draw against U17 Japan - the championship candidate, in the second round of the group stage of the U17 Asian Cup, in Saudi Arabia. This result helped coach Cristiano Roland and his team temporarily stand in third place in the group with 2 points, opening up a great opportunity to set foot in the U17 World Cup 2025.

Gekisaka newspaper (Japan) called the draw with Vietnam a bitter pill: "Despite having to 'take an extremely bitter pill', after the existing problems, the Japanese U17 team still has the right to decide for themselves, only needing a draw in the last round to win a ticket to the quarterfinals and participate in the U17 World Cup".

Japanese coach Hiroyama (4th from left) after the draw with U17 Vietnam

Japanese experts also commented that their loss came from a simple move - a long kick by the opposing goalkeeper, a mistake that was repeated in this tournament.

"It was the 'simplicity' of this situation that caused Japan a headache since the start of the match. In the opening match, Japan also conceded a goal when they did not handle the second ball well. And this time, the mistake was repeated" - Japanese media expressed.

Even the head coach of Japan U17 Hiroyama shared: "Second balls after long passes are a weakness that we always mention in training sessions and assign tasks to players, but when entering a real match, with real pressure, the handling is still not up to standard."

Coach Hiroyama admitted that Japan had to "swallow a very bitter pill" but there was no need to be pessimistic. "We have 1 win, 1 draw, scored 5 goals and conceded 2. We have a big advantage in the rankings, so it is a matter of thinking - no need to be too negative" - ​​said the Japanese strategist.

In addition, Japanese media also commented that the UAE defeated Australia 2-0, putting Australia in a desperate situation, and they will definitely play their best in the final match as a "life and death" match.

The final round of matches of Group B will take place at the same time at 10:00 p.m. on April 10.

In which, Vietnam must beat U17 UAE to decide their ticket to the World Cup, as well as enter the quarter-finals of the tournament.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/truyen-thong-nhat-so-tran-hoa-u17-viet-nam-nhu-lieu-thuoc-cuc-dang-196250408123529275.htm