Hoàng Trọng Duy Khang celebrates his opening score against UAE in the match on April 10. — Photo courtesy of the AFC

Anh Đức

The ticket to the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar was within Việt Nam's grasp with three minutes to go before the final whistle.

Near the touchline on the right wing, Trần Gia Bảo gave away a free kick in a position that no one thought was dangerous. The ball was pumped in deep, and the UAE capitalised on their only chance to realise their World Cup dream, and ended Việt Nam's.

Perhaps after the match, and maybe some time later on, Bảo might have a thought that he was to blame for giving away that free kick, and his teammates in defence might blame themselves for not dealing with Jayden Adetiba at the back post.

But I think that myself and many fans of the young Golden Warriors share the same thought that Việt Nam U17s have gave it their best shot, despite the circumstances, and won the hearts of many despite the end result.

In a group that few people gave a chance of progression, with continental giants Japan, Australia and the UAE, Việt Nam were, at times, in first place. Had it not been for UAE's equaliser, perhaps even Japan might have been eliminated.

Coach Cristiano Roland's team played a type of football that was both modern and combined with the tradition of quick counter-attack that have given Việt Nam their successes in the past two decades.

It was not the flashy tiki-taka that French coach Philippe Troussier promised at the national team or the bus-parking of South Korean Park Hang-seo, but a clinical, effective way of playing in the role of the underdog.

The players were able to keep hold of the ball and resorted to shorter, cleaner passing that opened up space and gave chances, rather than booting the ball away to the wings and hoping for a miracle.

The team ended the group stage unbeaten with three draws, but seeing their performance, many would say that they have a chance to win at best two games. The finishing of the strikers were not too effective, but they were able to clinically finish difficult shots, such as Hoàng Trọng Duy Khang's equaliser against Australia.

And had it not been for Bảo's last-minute penalty goal against Japan, Việt Nam's hope for progression could have been more tighter.

When I took a stroll down social media after the match, many comments expressed disappointment that the national team could not make it to the World Cup. Some even blamed players such as Bảo for committing, in their opinion, an unnecessary foul. Some news sites ran headlines saying "Việt Nam lost to UAE", despite in reality, we never lost.

Some even made comparisons to Indonesia, who progressed to the World Cup with three wins.

Indonesia's Bola newspaper, remarked that "Việt Nam U17s should be proud of their campaign, despite not making the World Cup."

If even regional rivals spoke highly and gave praises to our boys, why should we, the Vietnamese fans and the media, try to bury them? It is unacceptable and incomprehensible.

This team went, in just one year, from the U16 team that drew Cambodia 1-1 and lost 0-5 against Indonesia, to a team that held three Asian giants to three draws, becoming the only unbeaten team in the perceived 'group of death' of the U17 Asian Cup.

And with the U17 Asian Cup and the FIFA U17 World Cup being held annually from 2026 onwards, there will be more chance for Vietnamese youth football to move on from this and keep progressing forward. — VNS