South Korea, 24 September, 2025 – U18 Vietnam ended their campaign at the Seoul EOU Cup 2025 on a high note after cruising to a 4-0 victory over U18 Zhejiang (China) in the final match of Group A on September 24. The result secured third place for coach Yutaka Ikeuchi’s side, who collected three points from three matches.
Determined to close their journey in Seoul with a win, U18 Vietnam started aggressively from the first whistle. Their pressing immediately forced mistakes from the opponent’s defense. Just minutes into the game, Zhejiang’s goalkeeper mishit a clearance, allowing Vietnam to recycle the ball down the left flank. From there, Nguyen Thien Phu rose highest to head home and open the scoring.
Conceding early pushed Zhejiang to commit more players forward, but that played into Vietnam’s counter-attacking style. In the 23rd minute, another misplaced pass in midfield was intercepted, and the Vietnamese youngsters quickly combined with sharp, one-touch play. The ball eventually found Dau Hong Phong, who coolly slotted in the second goal to double the lead.
Zhejiang responded by focusing on set-piece opportunities, but Vietnam’s backline, well-organized and alert, neutralized the aerial threat. As the match wore on, the Red Shirts grew in confidence and continued to dominate possession.
In the second half, the pattern of play remained the same, with Vietnam in control. The third goal arrived in the 63rd minute when a poor clearance from Zhejiang’s defender landed perfectly at the feet of Le Phat. The forward raced through on goal and calmly beat the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation.
Vietnam weren’t done yet. In the 82nd minute, Le Phat’s powerful strike rattled the crossbar, but Nguyen Thanh Long was quickest to react, smashing the rebound into the net to seal the emphatic 4-0 victory.
The win ensured U18 Vietnam finished third in Group A with three points, having scored five goals and conceded six across their three matches. Zhejiang, with just one point, ended at the bottom of the group. Although Vietnam missed out on progressing further in the invitational tournament, the performance against Zhejiang showed significant improvement compared to their opening 1-5 defeat to U18 K League All-Stars and the narrow 0-1 loss to U18 Kanto University (Japan).
The squad is scheduled to return to Vietnam on September 25. According to the coaching staff, the Seoul EOU Cup provided invaluable lessons for the young Vietnamese players, offering them a chance to test themselves against strong international opponents. These experiences are expected to be a crucial foundation for their continued development ahead of upcoming official tournaments.
Khanh An
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