Thailand and Vietnam are at risk of being eliminated after losing 0-4 to Japan in Group D of the AFC U17 Championship finals on June 19.
Facing such a strong opponent, Vietnam switched to 4-2-3-1, instead of 3-4-3 like in the 1-1 draw with India. However, Hoang Anh Tuan and his team still conceded a goal in the 87th second. From an attack on the right wing, Sato crossed the ball for Michiwaki to head the ball past goalkeeper Bao Ngoc. Japan continued to put on great pressure after that, but Bao Ngoc's brilliance caused the first half to end with only one goal.
Michiwaki (No. 9) contributed a goal in Japan's victory over Vietnam on June 20. Photo: AFC
Japan showed that they are the strongest team in the group, even though they only drew 1-1 with Uzbekistan in the first match. In that match, Yoshiro Moriyama's students dominated their opponents and shot 19 times. In the match against Vietnam, Japan also shot 16 times, but with much higher efficiency. They scored four goals, three of which came in the second half.
In fact, Vietnam did not play badly in the second half. Hoang Anh Tuan's players paid the price in the 59th minute, after failing to take advantage of their opportunities at the beginning of the half. Japan once again brought the ball close to the sideline, before Mochizuki easily tapped the ball to increase the score to 2-0.
The loss destroyed Vietnam's fighting spirit. Luckily, they escaped defeat thanks to their opponent's header hitting the crossbar, but Vietnam still conceded a third goal after a wing attack. The scorer for Japan in the 66th minute was Sato - the player who played the role of assisting the first goal.
Phung Van Nam (number 21) dribbles the ball while being marked by Keita Kosugi. Photo: AFC
The highlight of Vietnam's match was Cong Phuong's shot that hit the crossbar in the 73rd minute. Japan played leisurely for the rest of the match, but still scored another goal thanks to Yamaguchi.
The 0-4 loss puts Hoang Anh Tuan and his team at risk of early elimination from the 2023 AFC U17 Championship finals, with only one point after two matches. Japan leads with four points, a goal difference of +4. In the final match, Vietnam will face Uzbekistan at 7 p.m. on June 23.
Vy Anh
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