The Vietnamese U17 team (in white) played out a goalless draw against Indonesia at the 2026 ASEAN U17 Championship on Sunday to reach the semi-finals. — Photo courtesy of VFF

Football

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam will face the Australia in the semi-finals of the 2026 ASEAN U17 Championship on Wednesday at Gelora Delta Stadium in Indonesia.

Việt Nam finished the group stage undefeated after a 0-0 draw against hosts Indonesia in the final Group A match on Sunday. The result secured their place in the semi-finals as group winners.

After three matches, the 'Golden Star Warriors' collected seven points, scoring 14 goals without conceding. They opened their campaign with a 4-0 win over Malaysia, followed by a 10-0 victory against Timor-Leste, before drawing with Indonesia.

Việt Nam’s progression to the semi-finals as group winners had been widely anticipated, given coach Cristiano Roland’s strong leadership and the team’s impressive performances throughout the tournament.

Speaking after the match against Indonesia, coach Roland said: “First of all, I would like to congratulate the players on reaching the semi-finals. This was a difficult match, but the whole team worked very hard.”

Việt Nam dominated much of the game and created several scoring opportunities. However, Văn Dương, Nguyễn Lực and Minh Thủy were unable to convert their chances. Indonesia, meanwhile, adopted a pragmatic approach, aiming for a draw despite the risk of elimination.

The Brazilian coach admitted he was surprised by Indonesia’s tactics. “We expected Indonesia to apply a lot of pressure,” he said.

“Before the match, we discussed this in detail.

“Therefore, I was quite surprised by the way they played. I thought they might change their strategy in the second half, but they continued with a defensive approach.

“However, in football, every coach has their own ideas and strategies. The important thing is that our players understood the situation and responded well to the opponent’s tactical changes.”

In the semi-finals, Việt Nam will face a strong opponent in Australia. This is expected to be a tough challenge, as Australia are the defending champions and have also been in excellent form.

During the group stage, Australia won all three of their matches against Brunei, Singapore, and Cambodia, scoring 15 goals without conceding.

“The team will prepare thoroughly for the semi-finals,” Roland added.

“I know Australia are a very strong opponent, so we will focus completely on this match.”

Meanwhile, Malaysia will face Laos in the other semi-final on Wednesday.

Laos have emerged as the surprise team of the tournament. They began with a draw against Myanmar before producing an impressive 4-3 comeback victory over the Philippines.

In a crucial match against Thailand, Laos caused a major upset by coming from behind to win 3-2, eliminating Thailand and securing top spot in Group B. — VNS