On the evening of January 9, in the 2nd match of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals, U23 Vietnam won narrowly 2-1 against U23 Kyrgyzstan with a goal from Khuat Van Khang and an own goal from the opponent.
Meanwhile, in the match that took place later in the morning of January 10, U23 Saudi Arabia lost 2-3 to U23 Jordan.
Thus, after the first 2 rounds, U23 Vietnam continues to lead Group A with 6 full points and a goal difference of +3.
U23 Jordan has risen to second place in the group with 3 points (effectiveness -1), equal points with host Saudi Arabia (3 points, effectiveness 0) but ranked above thanks to better head-to-head ratio.
The bottom position is U23 Kyrgyzstan with only 2 defeats. This team also officially stopped in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals.
The scenario in Group A at this time also becomes more unpredictable before the final match. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team is forced to get a result from a draw to a victory in the match against Saudi Arabia on January 12 to ensure a ticket to the quarter-finals of the AFC U23 Championship.
