In the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals, Nguyen Dinh Bac is the name that makes a strong impression on the playing style of U23 Vietnam, although he does not start in the main squad for most of the time.
According to statistics, the striker born in 2004 has only started 1 match, the rest are all played from the bench. However, every time he is brought on the field, Dinh Bac leaves a direct impact on the game.
In the opening match against U23 Jordan, Dinh Bac was arranged to start by coach Kim Sang-sik. He scored the opening goal in the 15th minute, before leaving the field in the 73rd minute.
In the match against U23 Kyrgyzstan, Dinh Bac was on the bench and brought on from the 63rd minute. Although he did not score, his appearance helped the U23 Vietnam attack create significant pressure.
A similar scenario took place in the match against U23 Saudi Arabia. Dinh Bac entered the field at the beginning of the second half and only took less than 20 minutes to score the only goal of the match in the 64th minute.
In the quarter-final match against U23 UAE, Dinh Bac's role was even more clearly shown. Being brought on from the 35th minute, he assisted Le Phat to score in the 39th minute, before directly scoring in the 62nd minute.
After 4 matches, Dinh Bac has contributed to many goals, although 3 times all started from the bench.
Dinh Bac's lack of regular starts comes from physical condition. Before the quarter-finals, this player had problems with his hip muscles, clearly affecting his right leg movement ability.
In the match against U23 UAE, he had to use his left foot more for movement, passing and finishing situations. Thanks to the close support of the medical department, Dinh Bac's condition has improved positively, meeting the conditions to participate in tactical and combat training sessions.
In the past two training sessions, Dinh Bac has returned to normal training with the whole team. However, to avoid the risk of overload and injury recurrence, coach Kim Sang-sik is highly likely to continue to use him as a strategic option from the bench.
With what he has shown, Dinh Bac shows that he can still make a difference every time he is given a chance, regardless of whether it comes from the bench.
