Yutaka Ikeuchi, coach of Vietnam U20, acknowledged that the players lacked experience playing against strong teams before the tournament, which contributed to their elimination from the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
Yutaka Ikeuchi, the Japanese coach of Vietnam U20, apologized to fans after the team was eliminated from the 2027 Asian Championship qualifiers with a disappointing performance and must now compete in the Development Phase.
Vietnam U20 ended their campaign in Group C in last place, losing all three matches.
After the match, Ikeuchi openly expressed his disappointment, admitting that the coaching staff and players had prepared multiple strategies in hopes of improving performance, but ultimately, Vietnam U20 failed to meet their goals. He also apologized to fans for the team’s results in the qualifiers.
“This generation of players includes many with potential, but they lacked opportunities to play and gain experience against strong opponents. If they had faced tougher competitors, they would have developed further.”
“I regret that this generation, and possibly the next, will not be able to participate in the U20 Asian Championship final round.”
“We had prepared several plans, but in the end, we couldn’t achieve the desired results. I must apologize to the Vietnamese fans.”