Wasteful finishing costs U16 Vietnam as they suffer comeback defeat to U16 Australia in international U16 tournament opener
In the opening match of the CFA Team China U16 International Tournament 2025 held on the afternoon of May 28 in Hohhot, China, the Vietnam U16 team suffered a narrow 1-2 defeat against Australia U16, despite taking the lead and creating many dangerous chances.
28/05/2025 16:45:13
Right after the kickoff, Australia U16 took control of the game and applied pressure during the first 20 minutes. However, Vietnam U16’s defense, especially goalkeeper Lý Xuân Hòa, remained focused and successfully blocked the opponents’ shots.
After a slow start, Vietnam U16 gradually regained control and organized several sharp attacks. In the 22nd minute, Chu Ngọc Nguyễn Lực delivered a dangerous cross, but Đậu Việt Hưng was unable to reach the ball. In the 30th minute, Australia U16 responded with a lofted ball into the penalty area and a close-range header, but goalkeeper Xuân Hòa made another excellent save.
Following that, Vietnam U16 executed their tactical plan well and had two consecutive chances in the 32nd and 34th minutes, but Văn Dương failed to beat the opposing goalkeeper in one-on-one situations. However, Vietnam’s efforts were finally rewarded in the 45th minute. From a cross, the Australian goalkeeper pushed the ball out right to Đại Nhân, who quickly rushed in to score the rebound, opening the score at 1-0 for Vietnam U16.
In the second half, Australia U16 pushed forward to seek an equalizer. In the 51st minute, the young Aussies had a dangerous header that went just wide. In the 66th minute, Vietnam U16 answered with an offside trap break by Sỹ Bách, but unfortunately, his shot went off target.
Failing to convert opportunities into goals, Vietnam U16 paid the price in the remaining time. In the 75th minute, after a chaotic moment in the penalty area from a corner kick, Australia U16 leveled the score at 1-1. Just one minute later, Australia took the lead 2-1 with a beautiful left-footed shot from outside the box.
Notably, in the 81st minute, Sỹ Bách had another golden chance to equalize one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but once again Vietnam U16 couldn’t capitalize. The match ended with a 1-2 defeat for Vietnam U16, despite creating many clear chances against a strong Australia U16 side.
As this is a friendly tournament, while the result is not the most crucial, losing after leading and missing many opportunities will be a valuable lesson for coach Cristiano Roland and his team, especially as they prepare for the bigger goal: the 2026 AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers.
In their next match on May 30, Vietnam U16 will face the host team, China U16.
