U16 Vietnam finished fourth overall in the ASEAN U16 Championship 2024
The U16 Vietnam national team finished fourth overall in the 2024 ASEAN U16 Championship after losing 0-5 to the host team U16 Indonesia in the third-place playoff match, held on the afternoon of July 3rd at Manahan Stadium.
04/07/2024 09:22:28
In front of the support of nearly 9,000 home spectators, U16 Indonesia was determined to push forward and seek victory right from the opening seconds of the match. The majority of the first half also saw opportunities created by the home team. However, when it came to crucial moments, the young U16 Indonesian forwards failed to convert their chances into goals.
On our part, due to a shortage of players with nearly half of our main lineup sidelined due to injuries, the U16 Vietnam team was forced to adopt a cautious approach. Despite this, we managed to create two notable counterattacking opportunities. A clear example was in the 27th minute, where Coach Tran Minh Chien’s players launched three consecutive shots towards the opponent’s goal, but the goalkeeper from the U16 Indonesia side managed to handle them all exceptionally well.
As the first half neared its end, U16 Indonesia unexpectedly scored two goals to take the lead. In the 45th minute, taking advantage of a defensive error by U16 Vietnam, Gholy penetrated the penalty area and easily scored. In the fourth minute of stoppage time in the first half, the score was 2-0 in favor of U16 Indonesia. Once again, the U16 Vietnam defense made a mistake. Capitalizing on the golden opportunity, Dafa Zaidan shot from just outside the penalty area to double U16 Indonesia’s lead.
Conceding two goals in quick succession right before halftime had a significant impact on the morale of the U16 Vietnam players. Despite this setback, the entire team continued to push forward aggressively in the second half, hoping to reduce the deficit. In the first 5 minutes of the half, the red-shirted team created two consecutive notable opportunities but failed to convert them into goals.
In the 75th minute, another defensive lapse from U16 Vietnam allowed Daniel to easily score, extending U16 Indonesia’s lead to 3-0. Just 3 minutes later, the score became 4-0 for U16 Indonesia. Taking advantage of U16 Vietnam’s push for a consolation goal, U16 Indonesia seized the opportunity to counterattack swiftly. Gholy completed his brace with a simple tap-in past the U16 Vietnam goalkeeper.
By the 82nd minute, U16 Indonesia solidified their victory with a 5-0 scoreline against U16 Vietnam. The match followed a similar pattern as the home team capitalized on quick counters. Due to their aggressive forward play, U16 Vietnam couldn’t retreat in time, and they could only watch as Daniel completed his own brace.
With a resounding 5-0 victory, U16 Indonesia secured the Silver Medal in the tournament. Meanwhile, U16 Vietnam will have much to work on as they prepare for their main goal this year: the 2025 AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers.
