Vietnam U20 Coach Yutaka Ikeuchi: “I Am Very Sorry”

Yutaka Ikeuchi said he was sorry that both Vietnam’s current U20 generation and the next one would miss the Asian U20 finals after a 3-1 defeat to Iran in the last Group C qualifier.

The loss at Viet Tri Stadium left Vietnam with three defeats and no place at the 2027 U20 Asian Cup. It also means Vietnam will drop to the Development Phase of the 2029 qualifiers. The country’s next generations will only be able to enter the U20 Asian Cup qualifying pathway again in 2031, four years from now.

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We played well in the first half and scored one goal, but we could not maintain our performance in the second half.

“We played well in the first half and scored one goal, but we could not maintain our performance in the second half,” Ikeuchi said. “I am very sorry that this generation and the next generation of Vietnam U20 cannot play in the U20 Asian Cup finals.”

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I am very sorry that this generation and the next generation of Vietnam U20 cannot play in the U20 Asian Cup finals.

Ikeuchi said the current squad contained many promising players but lacked opportunities to test themselves against strong opponents. “If they play more matches, they will continue to improve,” he said. He added that he would review the campaign with the players, but had no plans yet for his future in Vietnamese youth football.

The article said the result had been foreseeable. Vietnam did not have its strongest squad during the long preparation period because experienced players had to represent their professional clubs. Most of the players available to Ikeuchi were also well below the maximum age for the Asian qualifiers.

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If they play more matches, they will continue to improve.