Coach of U16 Australia team admits he was lucky to defeat U16 Vietnam

Mr. Antony Vidmar said that the home team had to rely on luck to win the U16 Southeast Asian championship.

U16 Australia came from behind to defeat U16 Vietnam, winning the U16 Southeast Asian Championship. Photo: Duc Dong

In the group stage, U16 Vietnam won 3-0 against U16 Australia. When they met again in the final, coach Dinh The Nam and his team also continuously took the lead, at times by two goals (2-0 and then 3-1). However, the red-shirted players could not protect their achievement, allowing U16 Australia to equalize 3-3 in eight minutes from the 83rd to the first minute of injury time of the second half. In the penalty shootout, Xuan Kien failed to take the penalty, causing U16 Vietnam to lose 3-5 and lose the championship of the U16 Southeast Asia tournament held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

“Vietnam U16 is a really strong team. They made it very difficult for us in this final match,” coach Antony Vidmar shared after winning the title with Australia U16.

In the semi-final match against U16 Thailand, U16 Australia also equalized 3-3 in injury time, then won 5-3 on penalties. The same scenario repeated itself with the kangaroo team when they faced U16 Vietnam in the final. Coach Antony Vidmar admitted that his team had a bit of luck.

“That’s football, you need a bit of luck to win the championship. However, the core thing that helped us win the championship was the spirit of the players. They did not give up in any situation, even when they were two goals behind. The whole team fought with great belief until the final whistle,” added the former Middlesbrough player.

Coach Antony Vidmar said he and his players will prepare carefully for the rematch with U16 Vietnam at the U16 Asian Cup in India next September. Photo: Duc Dong

U16 Australia did not start the U16 Southeast Asian Championship well. They were held to a 1-1 draw by U16 Myanmar and lost 0-3 to U16 Vietnam. However, coach Antony Vidmar's team then transformed, continuously defeating the Philippines (7-0), Singapore (6-2), and Malaysia (7-1) to win tickets to the next round. In the semi-finals and finals, the kangaroo team equalized in injury time and then executed perfect penalty shootouts, advancing to the championship.

According to VNE