Vietnam U17 team's World Cup qualification: Lessons learned from failure.

Having overcome past setbacks, the Vietnam U17 team returned with a spirit of resilience and confidence to successfully secure a ticket to the 2026 U17 World Cup.

A year after their failure at the 2025 AFC U17 Championship, the Vietnam U17 team made a strong comeback to secure their first-ever ticket to the U17 World Cup. In the group stage, Vietnam U17 started with a 1-0 victory against Yemen U17, then endured a disappointing match against South Korea U17 before staging an emotional comeback, defeating UAE U17 3-2 in the final group match to advance to the quarterfinals and earn their World Cup qualification.

Following the Vietnamese team's success at the tournament, coach Cristiano Roland shared his thoughts on overcoming pressure and how he rebuilt the morale of young players to overcome past failures.

Coach Cristiano Roland led the Vietnam U17 team to the U17 World Cup. (Source: VFF)

Learn how to get back up after failure.

- When he became head coach of the Vietnam U17 team, the team faced much skepticism after their 0-5 defeat against Indonesia U17. Following that, he and his players missed out on a ticket to the U17 World Cup. What was the challenge he faced starting over?

When I took over the team last year, I tried to change the players' morale because they were still burdened by the heavy defeat in Indonesia. I took the team to a friendly tournament in China and achieved good results. From there, I gradually lifted the team's spirits and built a playing style for the Vietnam U17 team that has lasted until now. Based on the success of that generation of players, I continued to apply the same approach with this generation. The best result we achieved was qualifying for the World Cup.

For players of this age, experience is incredibly important. I've seen them give their all throughout the process. Last year's squad has provided a wealth of experience for this year's team. The current squad includes two players who participated in the 2025 tournament. They've experienced that feeling of regret, so they're even more determined to give their all, to avoid repeating that regret and ultimately to secure a World Cup ticket.

What I do is help them understand that anything is possible. Last year's generation of players fought with all their might. The next generation, having learned from their mistakes, gained more confidence and achieved joy and happiness in reaching their goals.

- Upon his return, he stated that the mistakes of the previous generation were lessons learned that helped the Vietnam U17 team secure a spot in this year's U17 World Cup.

Many factors influence the outcome of a match, from the preparation phase to the players' mental state. Often, these factors aren't just on the field but also outside of it, such as whether the players are truly focused. Paying attention to detail is crucial.

I told them that when I was still competing, even when I was over 30, I could still make mistakes. Mistakes are part of the development process. I often joke that making a mistake once or twice is okay. However, if a mistake is pointed out and still happens, then we have to re-evaluate it.

They are all very intelligent, always understand the issues, and have improved with each stage. In my opinion, that's the most important thing. The way I convey the message probably helps them feel comfortable, because I never try to find out who made the mistake or who is responsible. The important thing is that everyone fights together for the collective good.

That's why they always have the courage to fight. That's what sets this year's players apart, as they do it better. Last year, they also tried very hard, but failed due to small mistakes.

Vietnam U17 team wins the 2026 Southeast Asian U17 Championship. (Source: VFF)

- The Vietnam U17 team also learned a painful lesson from this tournament. They took the lead against a very strong opponent, South Korea U17, but then lost in the last 10 minutes.

The majority of the match went exactly as we had planned. However, the team lost its balance due to mistakes at the end. These were errors the team hadn't made in a long time. I think that affected the players' morale on the field. This loss of spirit led to further unfortunate situations.

I told them that it was fortunate those things happened in the second match, when we still had one more game to correct the mistakes and win. With last year's team, the mistakes happened in the last game of the group stage. It was a costly mistake and there was no chance to correct it.

This year, when mistakes are made, we still have a match ahead. The coaching staff reminded them of this, and the players showed great discipline to achieve the goal. Their mentality has improved. The players have shown that they can overcome difficulties.

Success begins with belief.

- The success of the Vietnam U17 team is not just about the achievement. Fans appreciate the way the young players perform confidently and proactively, even when facing strong opponents.

First and foremost, the secret lies in the training sessions. When the players are well-prepared mentally, every exercise we give them is highly competitive. They always maintain respect for each other, but at the same time, they must have a burning desire to win. They want to do better and prove themselves.

In addition, we always teach our students that mistakes are perfectly normal and are part of the learning process. The important thing is to maintain a resilient spirit, perseverance, and never give up.

The coaching staff showed the children how to overcome difficult times so they could become better afterwards. That's one of the secrets to helping them gain confidence and dare to pursue their dreams.

- From friendly matches to the U17 Asian qualifiers, winning the Southeast Asian Championship, and now participating in the U17 World Cup, how do you see your players maturing?

The players understand and know how to overcome difficulties. This helps the team prepare well for matches. From friendly matches in Japan, to the qualifiers and the Southeast Asian tournament, all of them have helped them become more confident.

The experiences in Indonesia were invaluable. There was also pressure there to become champions. When playing friendly matches in Japan, I think the team didn't feel too much pressure to win. Of course, pressure is normal in football. It's also thanks to that pressure that we can learn lessons to do better in the future.

The players did their best. They deserve what they achieved. Now, the important thing is to look to the future to continue doing better and to be as well-prepared as possible for the U17 World Cup.

Vietnam U17 team has secured a ticket to the U17 World Cup for the first time in history. (Source: VFF)

- What helped you and the players stay focused on the goal of qualifying for the U17 World Cup?

From the very first generation of players, I believed we had the potential to qualify for the World Cup. At this age, from the very first training sessions, I saw the individual quality of each player. They had explosive potential, were willing to take risks, and could create breakthrough situations. Of course, previous generations also had such individuals, but with this generation, I have more options for a more dynamic style of play.

That also shows that we can aim for the ultimate goal of qualifying for the World Cup. Initially, the most important thing is to help the players understand and implement a collective playing style. Then, the whole team begins to accumulate experience through each tournament. In the first tournament in China, we had a draw and then won against Saudi Arabia. Those were very valuable experiences for the young players.

Next came the qualifying matches, where we showed we were capable of securing a place in the Asian Championship and, further, the World Cup. I think along that journey, winning the Southeast Asian Championship also served as a morale boost, helping the players gain more confidence when stepping onto the continental stage.

Thank you, sir.

Khanh Ly - Mai Phuong

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/u17-viet-nam-du-world-cup-bai-hoc-dung-len-tu-that-bai-ar1019294.html