'Rival Kyrgyzstan did not let U.17 Vietnam play football'

U.17 Vietnam drew 0-0 with U.17 Kyrgyzstan in the opening match of Group I of the 2025 AFC U-17 Championship qualifiers. Despite controlling the ball against the opponent considered the weakest in the group, coach Cristiano Roland's players were stuck in the attack phase. U.17 Vietnam only created many opportunities in the second half, but the strikers were not sharp enough to take advantage.

The draw with U.17 Kyrgyzstan made it difficult for U.17 Vietnam to qualify for the final round. Tran Gia Bao and his teammates must win the remaining two matches to take first place in the group and decide their own fate.

Coach Roland regrets

"It's a pity that the goal did not come to U.17 Vietnam. My young players played fast, trying to control the match. However, U.17 Kyrgyzstan did not let us play the ball. Therefore, we created many opportunities but could not score.

However, the U.17 Vietnam players are still young, each match is a lesson for the players to mature. Today, I think the whole team had a good match. I want to congratulate them, but in the future, the players need to have better performances," Mr. Roland affirmed.

Coach Roland also said that when evaluating the performance of U.17 Vietnam, we need to focus on the whole team, instead of analyzing individuals.

"We will focus on each match. I will not comment on any individual, because U.17 Vietnam is a team. The players showed solidarity and played their best. They all have good quality and are full of potential for progress," Mr. Roland added.

U.17 Vietnam shares points on opening day

Meanwhile, coach Igor Nikitin of U.17 Kyrgyzstan affirmed: "We made U.17 Vietnam unable to develop their strengths. U.17 Kyrgyzstan had a long training session in Vietnam before the tournament started, adapted well to the weather here and prepared well.

Instead of attacking, we focused on defense and thus kept a clean sheet. I feel a bit regretful that the team did not take advantage of counter-attacks well. On the contrary, U.17 Vietnam could not finish well the opportunities they created. Overall, I am satisfied with this result."

U.17 Yemen is leading Group I with 3 points and a goal difference of +5, after a 6-1 victory over U.17 Myanmar. U.17 Vietnam and U.17 Kyrgyzstan are respectively behind with 1 point after this draw.

U.17 Vietnam will meet U.17 Myanmar at 7:00 p.m. on October 25, while U.17 Kyrgyzstan will face U.17 Yemen at 4:00 p.m. the same day.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-roland-doi-thu-kyrgyzstan-khong-de-u17-viet-nam-choi-bong-185241023223525466.htm