Vietnam U17 ready to face Australia U17

Meeting Australia U17 in the semifinals of the 2026 Southeast Asia U17 Championship is a major challenge, but coach Cristiano Roland and his team are prepared.

Australia U17 is currently the strongest opponent in the tournament. They not only won, scoring 15 goals, but also demonstrated clear superiority in physicality, organization, and efficiency.

However, the Vietnam U17 team is not inferior to their opponent, having scored 14 goals. Despite only securing two wins and one draw after the group stage, Coach Roland's squad has proven their systematic play and attacking strength.

In the match against host Indonesia U17 last night on April 19, Vietnam U17 only managed a 0-0 draw, but Coach Roland stated that part of the reason was the opponent's defensive play, concentrating many players in their own half and not attacking.

"I was surprised to see Indonesia just waiting for us. In the second half, I thought they would change their style and attack more aggressively, but ultimately they continued doing the same, defending and defending. Of course, they also tried to create a few opportunities, but I was surprised, as those were only counter-attacking chances and very few.

We prepared to face pressure from Indonesia. We discussed this situation with the Vietnam U17 players before the match. We hoped for a fair and exciting game.

In fact, I prepared the Vietnamese players mentally to handle significant pressure and the opponent's attacking play. In youth tournaments like this, playing with full effort and a relaxed mindset always benefits the players' development.

However, Indonesia only played with mass defense. This completely made it quite difficult for us to create scoring opportunities, as they always concentrated many players in their own half," Coach Cristiano Roland answered at the post-match press conference.

Vietnam U17 will meet Australia U17 in the semifinals of the 2026 Southeast Asia U17 Championship at 7:30 PM on April 22.

Besides the goal of winning to reach the final, this is also a preparation step for Vietnam U17 for the Asian U17 Championship taking place from May 5 to 22 in Saudi Arabia, to compete for a spot in the U17 World Cup in Qatar this November.

At the U17 World Cup, the Asian region (AFC) has up to 8 representatives along with host Qatar (totaling 9 spots).

The Asian U17 Finals have 16 participating teams, divided into 4 groups, each with 4 teams. The Vietnam U17 team is in Group C alongside South Korea, Yemen, and UAE. If they secure one of the top two positions in the group to advance to the quarterfinals, the team will earn a ticket to the U17 World Cup Finals.