“A bit disappointed with the penalty but it’s the referee’s decision at the end,” said Macnicol. “I was happy to get a goal after that and help the team.

“It was frustrating after that because we had chances to score but didn’t. At the end of the day, if we don’t capitalise on our chances, we get punished.

“We take it as a learning curve. Obviously we showed that we can create chances and dominate the game. It just didn’t fall our way and we have to pick ourselves up for the next game.”

Head coach Brad Maloney echoed Macnicol’s thoughts but remained upbeat of Australia’s chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals and booking their place at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025.

“Of course we wanted to start with three points but we knew that we were in for a challenging game against Vietnam,” said Maloney. “We had our chances but at the end of the day, the result is a draw and we have to build on that for the next game.”

Australia will face United Arab Emirates on Monday.

Hong Trong Duy Khang’s second half leveller delivered the promise that Vietnam possess with head coach Cristiano Roland putting the first half performance down to first-day jitters.

“The first match is the first experience with the game state, atmosphere and pressure - so it’s normal that the players were feeling nervous,” said the Brazilian, whose side will next face Japan on Monday.

“In the second half we were able to show more the spirit of Vietnamese players. They fought and tried to score but also Australia had many chances. They worked hard and you need that to make your luck. I want to say congratulations to my players for their hard work.”