Hieu Minh's injury and Ly Duc's direct red card in the semi-final match against U23 China are probably the biggest losses for U23 Vietnam in the third-place match against U23 Korea.
Because, the journey of U23 Vietnam at this year's tournament is deeply marked in the defense. Therefore, losing the 2 most important pillars in the defense is what will make Mr. Kim Sang-sik have a headache in the final match of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.
Many names that are pillars in U23 Vietnam's playing style partly show that they are no longer in the best physical condition at the present time.
The continuous plowing, not only at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship but also the previous journey at SEA Games 33, more or less affected the fitness of U23 Vietnam when it reached the final matches of the tournament.
Originally, coach Kim Sang-sik almost maintained a stable framework for U23 Vietnam at this tournament, personnel changes, or substitutions through each match were not too surprising.
This also helped U23 China study carefully and "detect" the playing style of U23 Vietnam in the semi-finals, thereby winning the final 3-0 victory in a match with too many advantages.
From the "scattered" personnel, coupled with the fact that many key players are not in their best physical condition, U23 Vietnam will wait for Mr. Kim Sang-sik's talent in the third-place match with U23 Korea.
A "new" squad who knows how to surprise, because the names that have not had many opportunities to show themselves in this year's tournament are having a desire to contribute and show themselves. In a match that can be considered "nothing left to lose", for young players, it is very easy to bring surprise and explosion.
Entering this match with the mindset of being the underdog, the U23 Vietnam players have also put aside the psychology after the defeat in the semi-finals. Then surely coach Kim Sang-sik and his students will have the most comfortable psychology, the most determination to be able to say goodbye to the tournament in the most complete way.
