Unpredictable qualifiers
The 2026 U23 Asian Cup finals have just determined that all 16 teams will qualify. Notably, many second-placed teams with 6 points and a good goal difference were still eliminated. U23 Thailand - one of two Southeast Asian representatives in the final round also had to wait for the goal in the last minute of extra time to continue.
This shows that the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers are complicated, intense and unpredictable. Therefore, the fact that U23 Vietnam won a ticket to continue as group winners is commendable. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team won 3 absolute victories, scored 4 goals and did not concede any.
In the group of 15 teams that won tickets directly, U23 Vietnam achieved the 7th best result. Dinh Bac and his teammates are only behind Jordan, Japan, Australia, Qatar, Iran, and South Korea. This is also the 3rd time in 10 years that U23 Vietnam has kept a clean sheet after 3 qualifying matches.
"Mr. Kim Sang-sik has created stability in the defensive front with names appearing frequently in the main squad such as Trung Kien, Hieu Minh, Ly Duc. These are players who regularly compete in the V.League and First Division.
Although there were still some unconcentrated situations, they basically completed their task of not giving the opponent a chance to score. This is an encouraging point after the performance of U23 Vietnam", said expert Phan Anh Tu.
If the defense is fixed, the midfield and the U23 Vietnam attack are unpredictable variables. Mr. Kim Sang-sik launched 3 main teams with 3 different personnel arrangements when meeting Singapore, Bangladesh and Yemen.
Many opinions say that the Korean coach is struggling to assemble personnel for the front line area. However, looking at the overlap after 3 matches with goals that often occurred in the second half, experts somewhat realized that Mr. Kim Sang-sik's calculated player strategy.
Mr. Kim is calculating, but...
"The opponent could not predict coach Kim Sang-sik and U23 Vietnam. In 3 matches, U23 Vietnam controlled the ball well. The lineup in the first half was of a breakaway nature. When the opponent was exhausted in the second half, the breakthrough names of U23 Vietnam were brought onto the field to make a difference.
Obviously, Mr. Kim Sang-sik left another mark when leading U23 Vietnam. In this qualifying round, he continuously changed the lineup, had calculations in advance and flexibly adapted to the flow of the match on the field.
Looking back over the past year, we gradually see Mr. Kim's philosophy: not focusing on winning beautifully, instead, trying to create a favorable game situation before Vietnam has the necessary goals to win the final victory", expert Phan Anh Tu emphasized.
From an objective perspective, the opponents of U23 Vietnam in the qualifiers are not too strong and have not been able to put great pressure. Thanks to that, the Korean strategist's calculations also went more smoothly. However, this may not happen when U23 Vietnam enters the 2026 U23 Asian Cup finals, gathering very strong teams such as Uzbekistan, Korea, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia...
"We will lose in terms of class. But that does not mean that U23 Vietnam will lose. Right from this point, if we practice defense and develop a sharp counter-attack plan, good results can still be seen in the continental tournament," said Mr. Phan Anh Tu.
It should be emphasized that, after the qualifiers, U23 Vietnam must strive to improve the process of converting opportunities into goals.
Against U23 Yemen, the "Golden Star Warriors" controlled the ball 55% but only had 5 shots and 1 shot on target, despite using 6 strikers. In the match against U23 Singapore, U23 Vietnam controlled the ball up to 73%, launched 19 shots but only 1 goal.
"I have told the players to stay calm in the box. The team will need to improve their mentality and finishing ability at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand later this year," coach Kim Sang-sik emphasized.
