U23 Vietnam won 2-0 against U23 Jordan in the opening match of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals. This victory is meaningful not only because of the result, but also because of the way coach Kim Sang-sik and his team performed on the field.
Before the match started, experts predicted that it would be a difficult scenario for the Southeast Asian representative when Jordan possesses a superior physique and fitness foundation. Even coach Kim Sang-sik once admitted that U23 Vietnam is the weakest in Group A.
However, the reality on the field was different. U23 Vietnam entered the game confidently, played fairly and at times overwhelmed the opponent. In the first half, Mr. Kim's students controlled the game well, organized reasonable pressing and effectively utilized opportunities to score two goals.
Striker Dinh Bac opened the score from a penalty spot in the 15th minute, before Hieu Minh took advantage of a second ball situation to double the lead in the 42nd minute. In the second half, U23 Vietnam actively played more tightly, focusing on defense, neutralizing Jordan's attacks to preserve the victory.
Commentator Quang Tung highly appreciated the performance of U23 Vietnam, especially in maturity in playing style: "U23 Vietnam's first half was very good, and the second half showed that the team knows how to maintain the advantage. If they were luckier in the final minutes, the score could even be 3-0. This is a perfect and unexpected start, but what is more noteworthy is the way U23 Vietnam plays with maturity, confidence and good connection between the lines",
This commentator emphasized that U23 Vietnam's deployment style is "more mature than before", clearly different from the opponent. U23 Jordan possesses a glorious history, has had many impressive matches against strong teams in the continent, but has not shown much against the Vietnamese representative.
When entering the Asian arena, Vietnamese youth football always faces big challenges, but the performance in the first half shows that it has been a long time since fans have witnessed a Vietnam U23 team play so well," commentator Quang Tung said.
From a professional perspective, coach Minh Duc believes that U23 Vietnam has done well in terms of organization and defense.
U23 Vietnam knows how to block U23 Jordan strikers. This team's attack is not too dangerous, their ability to play high balls is not good. I think they are very strong, but when watching the match, I am not impressed with anyone. Perhaps, we must meet Saudi Arabia to assess the strength of U23 Vietnam," this coach emphasized.
