U.17 UAE: How dangerous is the opponent competing for a World Cup ticket with U.17 Vietnam?

Right after the draw for the final round of the 2025 AFC U-17 Championship, Group B was considered very difficult for Vietnam U-17. In particular, Australia U-17 and Japan U-17 were the "big mountains" blocking the way for coach Cristiano Roland and his team. However, the young Vietnamese boys had two brave matches, holding both of Asia's top young teams to a 1-1 draw. As for UAE U-17, this team is considered the most suitable opponent for Vietnam U-17 in Group B. And now, the two teams are fiercely competing for a ticket to the quarter-finals of the AFC U-17 Championship and to the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

U.17 Vietnam is not "easy" against the West Asian representative

In the first round of the group stage, U.17 UAE lost 1-4 to U.17 Japan, while U.17 Vietnam just forced the cherry blossom team to share points. However, the bridge-building principle is not accurate in football. U.17 UAE then showed that they are not an easy team to bully, when they defeated the highly rated opponent, U.17 Australia, with a score of 2-0 in the second round.

U.17 Vietnam must beat U.17 UAE to be able to continue.

PHOTO: VFF

Vietnam U.17 will certainly continue to face a big challenge in the decisive match for the Asian representative spot at the 2025 U.17 World Cup. Commentator Vu Quang Huy commented: "West Asian teams, including the UAE, are always rated higher than Vietnam. In this tournament, the UAE U.17 is also better than Vietnam U.17, both in terms of technique and physical strength."

After the first two matches in the group stage, it can be seen that U.17 UAE has a similar playing style to U.17 Vietnam. Against "superior" teams such as U.17 Japan and U.17 Australia, the West Asian team plays deep defense and waits for the opportunity to organize a counterattack. The three goals of U.17 UAE (1 goal against Japan, 2 goals against Australia) all came from quick attacks with long balls, very few touches. Especially in the 2-0 victory against U.17 Australia, the West Asian players showed their ability to take advantage of opportunities extremely well.

The general formula for UAE U.17's goals so far is a player in the back line dribbling up high, then the midfielders/forwards accelerate to create scoring opportunities themselves or assist their teammates. Facing the simple but extremely effective playing style of the West Asian players, the Vietnam U.17 team needs to maintain high concentration in defense, before thinking about scoring against the opponent.

Group B standings after 2 matches

PHOTO: VFF

In the history of the U.17 Asian Cup, the UAE youth team reached the final in 1990, the semi-finals in 2008 and the quarter-finals 3 times. Before the match against U.17 Vietnam, U.17 UAE also had an advantage in terms of playing conditions. UAE is a neighboring country to Saudi Arabia (host of the 2025 U.17 Asian Cup), so the U.17 UAE players are somewhat more familiar with the climate.

To win a ticket to the quarter-finals of the 2025 AFC U-17 Championship and participate in the 2025 U-17 World Cup, the Vietnam U-17 team must beat the UAE U-17 team. Meanwhile, the UAE U-17 team only needs a draw to have a chance to continue (depending on the match between Australia U-17 and Japan U-17).

In the match against U.17 Vietnam at 10:00 p.m. on April 10, U.17 UAE will not have the service of midfielder Ali Hassan (suspended for receiving a red card in the win against U.17 Australia).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u17-uae-doi-thu-tranh-ve-world-cup-voi-u17-viet-nam-nguy-hiem-co-nao-185250408153537313.htm