U17 Viettel won the 2023 National U17 Championship

U17 Viettel asserted their higher class and won 4-2 in the final match. Photo: Hai Hoang

U17 Hong Linh Ha Tinh had a sweet adventure at the 2023 National U17 Tournament. From a team that was able to participate in the final round through a wild card, they fought with all their passion and perseverance to reach the final match of the tournament. And until now, they are only one win away from the championship against U17 Viettel.

However, that is not easy, because the army team has proven its absolute strength with a winning record since the 2023 National U17 finals. Especially in the group stage match, U17 Viettel won U17 Hong Linh Ha Tinh with a score of 1-0. Therefore, it is not too difficult for experts to evaluate Viettel as the team in the upper position.

Viettel had a favorable start when they opened the scoring in the 6th minute of the match. Photo: Hai Hoang

This was confirmed by coach Nguyen Van Bien's students as soon as the ball rolled. U17 Viettel proactively advanced and organized attacks on U17 Hong Linh Ha Tinh. As usual, captain Cong Phuong was still the soul of U17 Viettel's attack.

The pressure that the army team created on Ha Tinh's field was materialized by a goal in the 7th minute of the match. From an attack in front of the penalty area, a Viettel player kicked the ball and hit the outstretched arm of Ha Tinh's central defender, immediately the referee awarded coach Van Bien's team a penalty. In the penalty shootout, captain Cong Phuong made no mistake, opening the score for U17 Viettel.

With the result of being behind, once again tested the strong will of Hong Linh Ha Tinh. Something they had done in the semi-final match against host PVF.

In the 16th minute, Hong Linh Ha Tinh had the first shot towards Anh Chien's goal. From a set piece more than 30m from Viettel's goal, Tran Ngoc Dung fired a shot with an unpleasant trajectory but the ball went just over the crossbar.

However, that was not the most unfortunate chance that Hong Linh Ha Tinh created in the first half towards Anh Chien's goal. A clear-cut scoring opportunity was created by coach Vo Quang's students in the 26th minute, but Chien Thang, in a face-to-face encounter with Viettel's goalkeeper, shot the ball over the bar.

After the continuous attacks of Hong Linh Ha Tinh, the U17 Viettel players lost the necessary alertness in their mentality. Coach Van Bien's team could not control the midfield and often made wrong passes. That helped the Hong mountain team to launch sharp attacks.

U17 Hong Linh Ha Tinh tried their best but could not create a surprise against a team that was rated higher. Photo: Hai Hoang

However, when the spirit of U17 Ha Tinh was rising, Viettel unexpectedly doubled the gap. The goal came in the 42nd minute, from a set-piece free kick on the right wing, Cong Phuong hung the ball into the opponent's penalty area, Dang Thanh Binh jumped high to head the ball, leaving Hong Linh Ha Tinh's goalkeeper Trong Duong helpless, conceding the goal.

Entering the second half, U17 Viettel chose a defensive counter-attacking style of play and with a good transition, this team created many difficulties for Ha Tinh's defense. In the 48th minute, Duc Do had a daring dribble on the right wing, passed 2 opposing defenders and then kicked powerfully, but goalkeeper Trong Duong was able to react in time to save Ha Tinh.

Not stopping there, in the 58th minute, U17 Viettel scored a third goal, drowning Ha Tinh's hopes. From a high-speed dribble by Cong Hau on the right wing, completely eliminating the opponent's defense, the ball was passed back to Hoang Khanh. The player wearing the number 26 jersey easily tapped the ball into the empty net.

3 minutes later, Hong Kien continued to score to raise the score to 4-0 for Viettel.

It was thought that Hong Linh Ha Tinh would collapse, but Hoang Phu unexpectedly scored a goal to shorten the score for the home team. From a powerful shot from his teammate outside the penalty area, the ball was pushed out by Anh Chien, found the feet of Hoang Phu, this player accurately cushioned the ball, making the net of U17 Viettel shake.

In the final minutes of the match, U17 Hong Linh reduced the score to 2-4. The goal was scored by Duc Hoang on the penalty spot.

However, that was all that U17 Hong Linh Ha Tinh could do. They could not continue their dream and had to accept the Silver medal at the 2023 National U17 Tournament.