Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam national U17 football team secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Yemen in their opening match of the 2026 AFC U-17 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia early on May 7 (Vietnam time).
Despite creating numerous chances, Vietnam managed only one goal, but the three points gave them a positive start to the tournament.
Playing at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium Legends, Vietnam began brightly and quickly took control of possession. In the 20th minute, Dai Nhan nearly opened the scoring after breaking past the defence and facing the goalkeeper, but his shot from a tight angle went wide.
Vietnam continued to dominate, though Yemen also threatened on several occasions. Goalkeeper Ly Xuan Hoa produced an important save in the 25th minute to deny a long-range effort before Yemen missed the rebound opportunity.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 77th minute. Nguyen Luc delivered a precise long pass to Dau Quang Hung, who made a run from the right flank and dribbled past an opponent. The U17 Yemen goalkeeper rushed out to challenge him, but Quang Hung still managed to put the ball into the net.
Yemen pushed forward in search of an equaliser in the last minutes, but Vietnam’s defence stood firm to secure the win and a valuable three points in their opening fixture.
At the 2026 AFC U-17 Asian Cup, Vietnam are drawn in Group C alongside the Republic of Korea (RoK), the UAE and Yemen.
Under the fixture schedule, Vietnam will face the RoK on May 10 and the UAE on May 14./.
