Lessons are not superfluous
Even when U23 Vietnam won 2 victories at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals, captain Khuat Van Khang still maintained a cautious attitude. He said that he himself and the whole team must wait for the results from U23 Saudi Arabia as well as opponents, instead of quickly affirming that the home team has a ticket to the semi-finals.
Van Khang's moderation probably stemmed from the lesson that he and many teammates experienced 3 years ago in Uzbekistan. At that time, U20 Vietnam had a dream start at the AFC U20 Championship finals with 6 absolute points after 2 matches, successively defeating U20 Australia 1-0 and overcoming U20 Qatar 2-1.
However, the 1-3 defeat to U20 Iran in the final round caused Van Khang and his teammates to experience bitterness. At that time, the 3 teams Iran, Australia, and Vietnam all had the same 6 points. The tournament regulations required direct head-to-head record consideration. Vietnam defeated Australia but lost to Iran, while Australia defeated Iran. Due to having the lowest goal difference among the 3 teams, U20 Vietnam was eliminated with regret.
Until now, coach Hoang Anh Tuan or captain Van Khang still have that bitter lesson in mind.
That is also the reason why Van Khang and his U23 Vietnam teammates are still not sure about the door to the quarter-finals, and also appear cautious before the final match.
Self-determination and affirmation
After U23 Vietnam defeated U23 Jordan 2-0, coach Hoang Anh Tuan - who helped the team reach the quarter-finals of the AFC U23 Championship 2 years ago - highly appreciated the team's prospects and capabilities. However, like Van Khang, he affirmed that U23 Vietnam needs to focus until the last minute of the group stage, if they do not want to repeat the lesson of U20 Vietnam.
In football, anything can happen. Even winning 6 points after the first 2 rounds cannot confirm anything. We need to firmly hold the right to self-determination in our hands," Mr. Tuan said.
This is also what coach Kim Sang-sik has regularly reminded his students in the past 2 days. The Korean strategist emphasized that even if the failure rate is only 0.01%, U23 Vietnam will still be at risk of leaving the tournament if they do not focus highly.
In terms of scenarios in the last round of Group A, U23 Vietnam will be eliminated if they lose 0-3 or have a gap of 4 goals or more against U23 Saudi Arabia, plus U23 Jordan defeated U23 Kyrgyzstan in the match at the same time.
This possibility, although quite low, is still present. Therefore, U23 Vietnam is not allowed to be subjective, especially when the host U23 Saudi Arabia is also very eager to win.
In addition, the 2026 AFC U23 Championship is a playground for U23 Vietnam to affirm its position. Remember, this is the 2nd consecutive time "Golden Star Young Warriors" have won the first 2 matches of the group stage, and are also facing the opportunity to enter the quarterfinals for the 3rd consecutive time in history. This proves the strength and stature of U23 Vietnam in the continental tournament - a playground that is fundamental to national football in the next 3-4 years.
Facing the stars of U23 Saudi Arabia also brought great excitement to the U23 Vietnam players. Young striker Nguyen Le Phat said: "There is nothing better than if we had a positive result against the championship contender U23 Saudi Arabia, thereby winning the first place in Group A at the 2026 Asian Championship.
It's a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit.
