Vietnam advance to the next round of AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup. (Photo: VNA)

Both teams are level on seven points but Vietnam top the group due to their better goal difference. 

Vietnam entered the tie only needing a draw but made to weather strong attacks from India, who had to win to advance.

Their strong attempts pushed them into the lead through midfielder Babina Devi's long straight shot in the 12th minute.

A stung Vietnam immediately went on the offensive but had to wait till first-half stoppage time for the equaliser, with Tran Nhat Lan drawing them level.

In the second half, the hosts played better thanks to Ngoc Minh Chuyen, Luu Hoang Van and Ta Thi Thuy, who took turns pulling the Indian defence out of shape. However, their attempts were not enough to score more goals.

India, on the other hand, tried desperately to find a second goal, especially in the last 15th minutes with long balls into Vietnam's box to their strikers, who could not overcome focused and firm defenders.

President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) Tran Quoc Tuan congratulated the team and awarded them a bonus of 200 million VND (8,500 USD).

Speaking to reporters at the post-match press conference coach Akira Ijiri of Vietnam thanked the thousands of supporters who came and encouraged his team. He was surprised to see so many people come to the stadium for his team's debut at the tournament.

He said their encouragement played a key role in helping Vietnam get what they needed from the match against India. He confirmed that his players would work harder in the second qualification round.
For the second round, scheduled from June 3-11, the eight teams will be drawn into two groups of four teams.

The four best sides will earn a spot in the finals alongside the highest seeds from the AFC U-19 Women’s Championship Thailand 2019: champions Japan, the Democratic People Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea and the hosts Uzbekistan on March 3-16, 2024.