Keita Ishii scored the solitary goal of the match with a strong close-range header three minutes from time.
In the all-Vietnamese third-place playoff, U-21 Hoang Anh Gia Lai brilliantly beat U-21 Vietnam by the same score, with Van Toan striking in the 78th minute. The Gia Lai team were also recognised for the “fair-play” prize.
Toan’s shining performance throughout the competition led him to be voted as the best Vietnamese player of the tournament. The striker also shared the “top scorer” title with Thailand’s Chenrop Samphaodi and U-21 Gangwon’s Park Junha.
The joy of champions Yokohama was multiplied as their players Hattori and Takaoka were named the most valuable player and the best goalkeeper of the tournament, respectively.
The annual event brought together six teams, with the host country represented by two teams, including U-21 Vietnam and U-21 Hoang Anh Gia Lai.
The four invitees were U-21 Thailand, U-21 Myanmar, U-21 Gangwon and U-21 Yokohama (Japan).
U-21 Vietnam and U-21 Hoang Anh Gia Lai both secured berths in the semifinals but failed to advance to the decisive match following their respective 1-3 and 2-3 (penalty) defeats to U-21 Thailand and U-21 Yokohama.
