Coach Nguyễn Quốc Tuấn of the Việt Nam U17 team. — Photo vietnamnet.vn

Football

HÀ NỘI — Coach Nguyễn Quốc Tuấn is confident the U17s will be prepared and ready to compete at the AFC U17 Asian Cup Finals.

Việt Nam beat Thailand 3-0 in a Group F match of the 2023 AFC U17 Asian Cup qualification on Sunday, to ensure top spot in the group and qualification for the finals.

Tuấn’s team was dominant from the first half and early goals from Nguyễn Công Phương, Lê Đình Long Vũ and Phan Thanh Đức Thiện not only sent the crowd at the Việt Trì Stadium into a frenzy but assured Việt Nam’s qualification in next year’s final tournament.

“I'm very happy that Việt Nam won such a wonderful match," said the coach.

"I had my own strategy for this match after thoroughly researching our opponent Thailand. I imparted not only tactics but also both motivation and national spirit to the players.

"We have had a specific plan. In this tournament there are many strong teams, our goal was to get through the group stage and strive to go as far as possible.

“My players showed great spirit to instill my tactics. In the future, we will invest more time in tactics to prepare for the future of players. I haven't been in a hurry to think that young players have the ability to compete in V.League 1 and V.League 2.

“The players must be equipped with the knowledge and strong physically. I believe in the future they will be the pillars of strong clubs," Tuấn added.

Meanwhile, Thailand's coach Pipob On Mo admitted Việt Nam deserved the victory.

"In football, the team that makes fewer mistakes usually wins. We predicted the tactics of Việt Nam. However, our team made big mistakes," he said.

“I did not think Việt Nam switched to a defensive way of playing in the second half. I thought they continued to attack to show their best. During the break, I reminded our players to persevere in attacking and limit mistakes.”

Thailand also qualified for next year’s finals, but narrowly as the fifth-best runners-up.

“Thailand competed in this event with very young players and a lack of international experience. Thai football has problems in finding young talent and is looking for ways to overcome it," Pipob added.

Having won three matches to achieve qualification, Việt Nam U17s were awarded a bonus of VNĐ500 million by the Việt Nam Football Federation. VNS