U17 Vietnam regretfully draws in opening match of U17 Asian qualifiers

On the evening of October 23, the Vietnam U17 team had their opening match in the 2025 AFC U17 qualifiers, against U17 Kyrgyzstan - an opponent that is expected to compete for a ticket to the next round in Group I. Therefore, coach Cristiano Roland and his team are determined to have a good result in this match, thereby gaining an advantage in the race to the final round.

The Kyrgyzstan U17 team also prepared carefully for this tournament. In addition to quality friendly matches, the team also came to Vietnam very early to get acquainted with the field and weather conditions.

Compared to the U17 Vietnam team, the U17 Kyrgyzstan team is better in terms of physical strength and physique. If we consider the FIFA rankings, Kyrgyzstan is currently ranked 106th, 10 places higher than the Vietnam team. In addition, the Kyrgyzstan national team is also participating in the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia.

Like their opponents, the Vietnam U17 team has been well prepared. After finishing fourth in the 2024 Southeast Asian U16 tournament, Vietnam U17 under coach Cristiano Roland participated in a friendly tournament in China (winning against Japan and Uzbekistan) and trained in Japan.

Entering the match, the "golden star warriors" showed great determination, entering the match confidently and controlling the ball, however, coach Roland's students have not yet made a breakthrough.

Meanwhile, the away team, although giving up the game to U17 Vietnam, still took advantage of the opportunity.

In the 17th minute, from a poor reception by a U17 Vietnam player, it accidentally became an assist for Alisherov to rush down and shoot at the edge of the penalty area, but a hasty touch by number 11 of U17 Kyrgyzstan sent the ball out.

In the following minutes, the U17 Kyrgyzstan team actively played solid defense on the home field and the away team was ready to raise their formation to counterattack when they had the ball. This style of play was effective in the first half when it held back the U17 Vietnam team. The two teams drew 0-0 in the first 45 minutes.

In the second half, U17 Vietnam continued to pressure their opponent U17 Kyrgyzstan. In the 56th minute, Nguyen Luc made a pass just outside the penalty area for Van Khanh to shoot from a distance, hitting the position of goalkeeper Aleksandr Shapkarin. In the 63rd minute, Shanbolot Ormonov made a breakthrough in the siege of 4 U17 Vietnam defenders and then shot wide of goalkeeper Xuan Tin's goal.

In order to serve the goal of winning all 3 points, coach Cristiano Roland brought new attacking faces onto the field such as Van Duong and Gia Bao. This change brought a new wind to the attacking game of U17 Vietnam when U17 Kyrgyzstan showed signs of fatigue. However, the goal still did not come to the red team after missed opportunities by Van Duong and especially Gia Bao.

In the end, the U17 Vietnam team accepted the 0-0 result against their opponent. After this match, Cristiano Roland and his team will have the next match against the U17 Myanmar team at 7:00 p.m. on October 25./.