After the opening whistle, U17 India actively pressed right on the U17 Vietnam field. Meanwhile, coach Hoang Anh Tuan's students proactively gave up the game to the opponent.

The match between U17 Vietnam and U17 India was exciting. Photo: VFF

Despite not having much control of the ball, U17 Vietnam still knew how to create opportunities. In the 29th minute, Long Vu took the first shot and the ball seemed to touch the hand of an Indian U17 player in the penalty area but the referee did not blow the whistle. In the 31st minute, U17 Vietnam was awarded a free kick from a distance of nearly 30 meters. Captain Cong Phuong took a powerful free kick that sent the ball just wide of the Indian U17 goal.

Despite controlling the ball more, the U17 Indian players still did not have any truly dangerous shots. Meanwhile, U17 Vietnam converted the opportunity into a goal. In the 44th minute, starting from a successful corner kick, U17 Vietnam organized a quick counter-attack. Captain Cong Phuong sent a long pass to Long Vu, who handled the ball skillfully before shooting into the far corner to beat goalkeeper Sahil, opening the score. Before the end of the first half, Huynh Trieu took a corner kick, the ball was hung straight towards the U17 Indian goal and hit the post and bounced out. Unfortunately, no U17 Vietnam player rushed in to support.

The joy of Vietnam U17 players when scoring against India U17. Photo: VFF

In the second half, U17 Vietnam improved their ball control and confidently organized attacks. However, U17 India was the team that created more dangerous opportunities. From the delicate pass of U17 India that eliminated the entire U17 Vietnam defense, substitute player Gangte sneaked down to finish at a narrow angle but could not beat goalkeeper Bao Ngoc - a young player of Song Lam Nghe An . However, also from the situation of goalkeeper Bao Ngoc, player Singh dribbled and hung deep into the penalty area and went straight into the net of U17 Vietnam.

In the remaining minutes, U17 Vietnam tried to attack, creating a lot of pressure but could not score more goals and had to share points with U17 India. After the first match of Group D of the 2023 AFC U17 Championship finals, all four teams, U17 Vietnam, U17 India, U17 Japan and U17 Uzbekistan, had 1 point. In the previous match, U17 Japan drew U17 Uzbekistan 1-1.

According to plan, U17 Vietnam will meet U17 Japan at 5:00 p.m. on June 20 and meet U17 Uzbekistan at 7:00 p.m. on June 23.

HOAI PHUONG