The referee shocked by denying Vietnam's penalty against Australia

Vietnam U17 experienced a highly volatile first half in their match against Australia U17, with the focal point being a controversial incident where the referee refused to award a penalty to the red-shirted team despite Le Sy Bach being clearly fouled inside the penalty area.

Right from the opening minutes, the match unfolded at a high tempo. In the 3rd minute, Australia U17 shook Vietnam U17's goal when Miles Edward surged forward for a close-range header, fortunately the ball missed the post. The early pressure from the opponent was quickly materialized in the 11th minute, when striker Luke Becvinovski executed a classy turn-and-shoot, driving the ball straight into the top corner, opening the scoring 1-0 for the Kangaroo representative.

After conceding, Vietnam U17 pushed their formation higher in search of opportunities. In the 16th minute, Chu Ngoc Nguyen Luc had a fairly open breakout situation, but instead of shooting, the number 10 player chose to cross and let the chance slip away regrettably. By the 24th minute, the red-shirted defense again had an indecisive clearance, allowing Becvinovski to shoot from close range, however this time the ball narrowly missed the inside post.

The biggest turning point of the first half arrived in the 39th minute with a fiercely controversial incident. From the midfield area, Le Sy Bach successfully intercepted the ball and executed a solo sprint straight towards Australia U17's goal. Upon entering the penalty area, the Vietnam U17 midfielder was tackled from behind by an opposing defender with a sliding challenge that missed the ball.

Initially, the main referee correctly identified this as a clear foul, issuing a yellow card to the Australia U17 player and awarding Vietnam U17 a penalty kick. Given that Sy Bach was facing a clear scoring opportunity, many believed this could even be a red-card worthy situation.

However, after consulting VAR, the decision changed in a direction unfavorable to Vietnam U17. The referee unexpectedly canceled the penalty, simultaneously also rescinding the yellow card given to the visiting team player. This decision left the red-shirted players extremely frustrated, as slow-motion replay showed the tackling incident clearly did not touch the ball.

VAR's denial of the penalty in such a sensitive situation significantly affected Vietnam U17's morale for the remainder of the first half. The match thus became more tense, with controversies surrounding the officiating.

Although the second half still lies ahead, it is clear that this controversial decision could become a major turning point, directly impacting the match's dynamics as well as Vietnam U17's chance to secure a favorable result.