On June 16, a press conference was held in Thailand before the Group D match of the 2023 AFC U17 Championship finals. At the beginning of the press conference, coach Hoang Anh Tuan said: “Vietnam U17 has a month to prepare for this tournament. We are very happy that we have qualified for the finals as the top team. Vietnam U17 will have to face very strong opponents in the group stage, including Japan U17, Uzbekistan U17 and India U17. Hopefully, Vietnam U17 will play well.”

Coach Hoang Anh Tuan and the "captain" of U17 India. Photo: VFF

When asked about the goal of the Vietnam U17 team at the tournament, coach Hoang Anh Tuan shared: “In this year’s tournament, we will have 6 competitions. Hopefully we will complete the first 3 competitions in this group. Hopefully my students will play well and we will take the next competitions to complete this task excellently.”

The U17 Vietnam team will play the opening match against U17 India at 7 p.m. on June 17. Before the match, coach Hoang Anh Tuan said: “The match with U17 India is very important. For me, there is no pressure at all. The more fans come to the stadium, the more comfortable I feel. Of course, for young players, psychological development is not an easy story. I hope that the more fans come, the better U17 Vietnam will play.”

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

Group stage schedule of U17 Vietnam at the final round of the 2023 AFC U17 Championship. Photo: VFF

HOAI PHUONG