U16 Vietnam won the Peace Cup 2024 runner-up
The Vietnam U16 team surprisingly won against Japan U16 at the 2024 Peace Cup International U16 tournament, thereby finishing in second place overall due to being behind the host U16 China in the sub-index.
On the evening of August 20, the Vietnam U16 team faced off against Japan U16 in the final match of the 2024 Peace Cup International U16 tournament.
The 3-0 victory over Uzbekistan U16 in the first match helped the players of the Vietnam U16 team confidently enter the match against the strong opponent Japan U16. Perhaps the surprising achievement of coach Cristiano Roland and his team against Uzbekistan was also part of the reason why Japan U16 had to be more cautious in the first minutes of the match.
The young Japanese team did not rush to push up their squad to play pressing as usual, but only maintained a moderate pace. Therefore, although the opposing team controlled the ball better, U16 Vietnam did not have to endure too much pressure in the early stages of the match.
In the 16th minute, the biggest surprise of the match happened when Nguyen Van Bach scored the opening goal 1-0 for U16 Vietnam. After a pass from his teammate, the PVF striker rushed in and decisively finished with his left foot, completely defeating the U16 Japan goalkeeper.
Unexpectedly losing, Japan changed their approach to the match. However, coach Nozomi Hiroyama and his team were stuck in front of the well-organized defense of U16 Vietnam. The score of 1-0 was maintained by U16 Vietnam until the end of the first half.
In the second half, U16 Vietnam continued to maintain a defensive counter-attacking style of play. Coach Roland's tactics were effective even though the Japanese attack continuously threatened Hoa Xuan Tin's goal. U16 Vietnam's game was not too inferior. The ball control rate of Thai Hoa and his teammates was maintained at a good enough level.
When the match passed 2/3 of the time, coach Cristiano Roland made 4 consecutive substitutions, both to increase the fighting power and defense ability of U16 Vietnam and to create opportunities for his players to compete on the field.
In addition, these personnel adjustments also helped U16 Vietnam stand firm against many attacks from the opponent. In the 83rd minute, Hoa Xuan Tin flew to block a very dangerous free kick from the opponent. This was also the most dangerous opportunity that Japan created. In the end, U16 Vietnam won with a score of 1-0.
With 6 points after a 3-0 victory over Uzbekistan U16 and 1-0 victory over Japan U16, the Vietnam U16 team finished the 2024 Peace Cup International U16 tournament as runner-up. The championship belongs to China U16 after a 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan U16 in the final match, thereby, ranking above Vietnam U16 thanks to the additional index.
On August 21, the Vietnam U16 team will return home and is expected to regroup in mid-September to continue preparing for the 2025 AFC U17 Qualifiers, which will take place in October./.
