Vietnam’s U16 team defeated Thailand 5-4 in a penalty shootout on March 11 to reach the final of the Japan-ASEAN friendly football tournament 2018 held in Japan.

Vietnam will meet Indonesia, who beat Japan 1-0 the same day, in the final on March 12.

Vietnam’s national U16 team and fans celebrate after winning Thailand in the international friendly tournament ASEAN 2018 held in Miyazaki, Japan on March 11 (Photo: vff.org.vn)

The tournament attracted the participation of 12 teams, 10 of which from ASEAN countries and two from Japan.

In the qualifying round, Thailand topped Group C after beating Singapore 8-0 and Brunei 4-0. Vietnam won Group D after beating Laos 2-1 and drawing with Miyazaki 0-0.

Among the 18 members of the Vietnam U16 team, there are some of the outstanding players of the U15 squad, who won the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U15 Championship last year. 

The event is a warm-up for the Vietnamese players ahead of their 2018 AFC Championship campaign, slated for late September in Malaysia.-VNA