Vietnam’s miracle run towards the 2016 Under-19 AFC Championship officially came to an end Thursday night in a 0-3 loss to Japan in the semifinal in Bahrain.

The defeat was no surprise for the Vietnamese squad, with last night’s game being their first-ever semifinal appearance, whereas it marked the 14th for the young Samurai Blue.

Japan easily dominated the game despite coach Atsushi Uchiyama fielding as many as ten substitutes in the quarterfinal.

The Japanese took on the dominant role in the sixth minute with a goal by Takeru Kishimoto, followed with another from Shunta Nakamura just six minutes later. Minutes into the second half, Nakamura doubled his tally and settled the game.

The gap would have widened if not for several impressive saves, including a penalty attempt in the 28^th minute, by goalie Bui Tien Dung.

Photo: AFC

Vietnam’s coach Hoang Anh Tuan explained that his team was forced into a damage limitation exercise after conceding the two early goals.

“At the end of the day, the stronger team beat the weaker team,” he told the AFC website.

“I told my players before the game that Japan is very strong and we saw that today in both their attack and defense.

“Our players tried very hard but they were tired, both mentally and physically.”

The Vietnamese coach admitted that the Japan defeat illustrated “the gap in quality” between the teams.

“As we look towards next year and the U-20 World Cup, we have many things to improve on.  I could list them, but we need time,” he said.

The top four teams at the U-19 AFC tourney will join 24 other participants at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea on May 20.

It will be the first-ever World Cup for a Vietnamese national squad and finishing the 2016 U-19 AFC Championship as first-time semifinalists is already a historic achievement for the country’s football porgram.

Photo: AFC

The championship match will be played out by Japan and Saudi Arabia, who secured a 6-5 in their semifinal match against Iran, on October 30.

It will be the seventh finals appearance for Japan, though they have yet to win the tournament.  Their most recent finals defeat came by way of North Korea in 2006.

But this time, Japan’s coach Uchiyama said he does not “really think about history too much.”

“For the players, this is their first time in the final so the past is the past,” he told the AFC website.

“We have been playing good football throughout the tournament, but Saudi Arabia has also been successful in getting to the final. It won’t be easy, but we’ll try our best."

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