Entering the field with high determination, the Vietnam U16 women's team entered the match with confidence despite facing pressure from the "island country" audience.
In the 3rd minute, Ngoc Anh suddenly joined the attack and scored the opening goal 1-0, creating an early advantage for the red team.
However, in the 15th minute, the home team Indonesia used their physical advantage to equalize 1-1, with a goal by Nafeeza. The stalemate continued until the end of the first half.
In the second half, Indonesia's tight defense prevented Vietnam from converting their chances into goals, forcing the match to go into a penalty shootout.
In the nerve-wracking penalty shootout, the Vietnamese U16 women's players showed their steadfastness to win 7-6, thereby taking third place overall in the tournament.
Evaluating the team's performance, coach Okiyama said the players and coaching staff were united and fought together.
“We wanted to finish the match within 90 minutes. However, the opponent played well, strongly, with home field advantage. Despite the high pressure, our players were confident, did not lose heart, and fought with all their might.
Penalty kicks are also a very good experience for the players. At away matches, under the pressure of the audience, this opportunity does not always exist and the players performed well," said coach Okiyama.
As planned, the whole team will return to Vietnam today, August 30, ending their journey at the 2025 Southeast Asian Women's U16 Championship.
The players will have a 3-day break on National Day, September 2, before reuniting to prepare for a training trip in Germany to prepare for the 2026 Asian U17 Women's Championship qualifiers, scheduled to take place in October in Binh Duong .
The bronze medal at this tournament is a great source of encouragement for the young players and an important stepping stone for the development of Vietnamese women's football in the future.
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/u16-nu-viet-nam-gianh-hcd-giai-dong-nam-a-164983.html
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