Malaysia U17 wins 13-0, praised by AFC; Vietnam temporarily takes second place.
The AFC called Malaysia U17's 13-0 victory over the Northern Mariana Islands a strong start, temporarily pushing Vietnam U17 down to second place in Group C despite their 6-0 win against Singapore.
Malaysia U17 opened their 2026 AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifying campaign with a 13-0 victory over the Northern Mariana Islands. The AFC described it as “an impressive performance for the Southeast Asian team” and emphasized it as a “powerful start”. This result temporarily puts Malaysia at the top of Group C, pushing Vietnam U17 down to second place despite their 6-0 win against Singapore.
Malaysia 13-0: a relentless onslaught from the 5th minute.
The AFC wrote that Malaysia “easily defeated the Northern Mariana Islands 13-0”. The rhythm of the match was set very early on: “Malaysia opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Iman Danish passed the ball to Iman Irfan in the penalty area”. In the 16th minute, Danish doubled the lead after a rebound and by the 20th minute, he completed his hat-trick from a through ball by Nurikhwan, “coolly converting the opportunity”.
The pressure was relentless. Nabil and Irfan extended the lead in the 32nd and 34th minutes respectively; Arfan Haziq broke the offside trap to score the sixth goal before Arayyan sealed the 7-0 victory just before halftime. As described by the AFC, “The Northern Mariana Islands had no time to rest.”
In the second half, Ali Ashraf increased the lead to 8-0 in the 50th minute. The scoring spree continued with Haziq, Nurikhwan Othman, an own goal by Jerz Navarro, and then Fahim Akmal and Haziq (90th minute) to seal a 13-0 victory. The AFC concluded: “A powerful start and a clear statement of ambition from Malaysia.”
Vietnam U17 6-0 Singapore: A convincing result
In the previous match, the AFC website described Vietnam U17 as "taking the lead in the fourth minute" thanks to Le Sy Back's accurate penalty. Minh Thuy doubled the lead, before Dai Nhan scored the third goal. In the second half, Chu Ngoc and Manh Quan scored consecutively, helping Vietnam win convincingly 6-0.
Impact of Table C: Positioning Difference
Group C consists of Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, and Northern Mariana. The AFC assessed both Malaysia and Vietnam as having "convincing victories," but Malaysia's 13-0 scoreline temporarily puts them at the top due to a superior goal difference, creating significant pressure ahead of their clash.
Key figures from the AFC description
| Match | Key figures/details |
|---|---|
| Malaysia 13-0 Northern Mariana | Denmark opened the scoring in the 5th minute; completed their hat-trick in the 20th minute; 7-0 at halftime; the final goal came in the 90th minute. |
| Vietnam 6-0 Singapore | In the 4th minute, Lê Sỹ Back took the lead from a penalty; subsequent goals were scored by Minh Thủy, Đại Nhân, Chu Ngọc, and Mạnh Quân. |
Tactical perspective through description
The phrases chosen by the AFC for Malaysia – “scoring relentlessly”, “no time to rest”, “coldly converting opportunities” – reflect their high pace, ability to capitalize on chances, and relentless attacking tempo. Conversely, Vietnam U17 showed efficiency in their start (leading in the fourth minute) and maintained a steady scoring rhythm to seal a 6-0 victory.
With two convincing opening matches recognized by the AFC, the clash between Vietnam and Malaysia is expected to be a decisive factor in determining the outcome of Group C.
