With U17 Vietnam, we believe in a bright future.

Winning all 5 matches, scoring 30 goals (an average of 6 goals per match) and not conceding any goals, U17 Vietnam has completed the 2026 AFC U17 Championship qualifying campaign excellently. In the 12 previous qualifying rounds, we have never reached a similar number of goals, and have only kept a clean sheet 3 times (in groups 2, 3 or 4 teams).

Some have attributed this success to the change in the qualifying structure to a six-team group, with nearly half of Vietnam U17s' goals coming against the Northern Mariana Islands. That is true, but the 6-0 wins over Singapore U17s and especially the 4-0 result in the Group C "final" against Malaysia showed the true strength of the young Golden Star Warriors.

On Sunday night (November 30), coach Cristiano Roland's players had an impressive performance when they completely controlled the game, organized well and attacked sharply. They were also very confident when freely coordinating and showing off their techniques. This was the foundation for the players to promote creativity and improvisation, while still ensuring tactical discipline.

Manh Cuong, Anh Hao, Van Duong and Sy Bach, the players whose names appeared on the scoreboard in the 4-0 win over U17 Malaysia. Photo: Anh Thang

A typical example is Van Duong's skillful dribbling near the touchline in the 43rd minute, then crossing for Anh Hao to raise the score to 2-0. Not long before, Van Duong also performed Ronaldinho's famous flip flap skill in a similar position, creating a finishing opportunity for Minh Thuy.

Sy Bach's 4-0 goal in the 78th minute was another example, when he received the ball on the right side of the penalty area, cut to the left and then turned back to the right, making the U17 Malaysia defender dizzy, and finally unleashed a low shot into the far corner.

Looking back at the goals, we can see that U17 Vietnam has a variety of attacks. It can be from a set piece (goals 1 and 3), a dribble down the sideline and cross (goal 2) or a quick transition and direction of attack with a cross-field pass (goal 4). There are also many other situations that, if fully exploited, will be another rain of goals at PVF Stadium.

4 goals scored by U17 Vietnam against U17 Malaysia.

Not only is there a wealth of solutions, Coach Cristiano Roland also has a lot of sparks in his hands. In the qualifying round, 13 of his students put their names on the scoreboard, from defenders like Manh Cuong, Anh Hao, Hoang Viet to midfielders Quy Vuong, Minh Thuy, Nguyen Luc, Duy Khang, Dinh Vy and strikers Dai Nhan, Van Duong, Manh Quan, Ngoc Son, Sy Bach.

After the match ended, coach Cristiano Roland praised "U17 Vietnam as a strong team" and "created history and beautiful memories" in a football journey that has just begun. Of course, they also revealed a bright future for Vietnamese football.

Remember when the 2025 AFC U17 Championship ended with many commendable performances from Vietnam U17, coach Cristiano Roland said that Vietnamese football is on the right track when "identifying youth training as the cradle and root for developing professional football", and mentioned Mr. Hien and Hanoi Club as a model with serious and persistent investment.

Vietnam U17 successfully completed the 2026 AFC U17 qualifying campaign. Photo: Anh Thang

Not only Hanoi FC with 5 players currently playing for U17 Vietnam, the talented squad of coach Cristiano Roland also comes from the training centers of The Cong Viettel (4), SLNA (3), PVF (6), CAHN (2), Nam Dinh , Thanh Hoa and Hue (together 1). This once again emphasizes the steadfastness of the clubs in investing in youth training. The time of seeking short-term success is long gone, a comprehensive strategy of playing football systematically, sustainably and committing to investing for the long-term future has been implemented.

Thanks to that, after the golden generation of 2018, Vietnamese football can confidently look to the future with the current U22 and U17 generations. Rising stars such as Nguyen Luc, Manh Quan, Quy Vuong (Hanoi FC), Duy Khang, Van Duong, Sy Bach, Anh Hao (PVF), Manh Cuong, Dai Nhan (The Cong Viettel ), Ngoc Son (SLNA), Long Nhat (CAHN) have enough qualities to go far. They are fully equipped with skills and knowledge from training centers, and at the same time receive modern football thinking and tactics on the national team.

"In training, I always prepare young players for the path to take," coach Cristiano Roland shared, "I am very happy that the path I have outlined is trusted by the team. But the players and I will continue to learn, gain experience, and practice to move towards the future."

The journey is still very long, for the U17 players as well as Vietnamese football. However, we have the basis to firmly believe in the great things that will come ahead.

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