Close-up of the Vietnamese youth team's performance against Barcelona

Despite a 1-3 defeat to U16 Barcelona, U16 PVF delivered an extremely praiseworthy performance.

U16 PVF concluded their journey at the Alkass International Cup 2026 friendly tournament with a 1-3 loss to U16 FC Barcelona. Nevertheless, the young Vietnamese representatives showed many positive signs by playing confidently and at times putting the European opponent under pressure. Earlier, they made a splash by holding U16 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. to a 1-1 draw in Qatar.

Barcelona quickly demonstrated their class by pushing forward from the start. In the 6th minute, Acheves capitalized on a short combination to turn and score the opening goal. By the 20th minute, the midfielder headed in a second goal to double the lead. However, PVF did not give up and responded with a sharp counterattack, where Hoàng Trung Anh calmly scored to reduce the deficit to 1-2.

After the break, PVF showed great determination, with goalkeeper Lê Hoàng Gia Bảo making an important save to keep hopes alive for a comeback. Yet, in the 66th minute, Ventaja broke the offside trap to score, confirmed by VAR, sealing a 3-1 victory for Barcelona. Despite the loss, the resilient performance proved that PVF’s youth squad can compete with top academies.

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