U23 Vietnam won narrowly 3-2 against U23 UAE in the quarter-finals of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.
The match was a dramatic score chase between the two teams. Nguyen Le Phat opened the score for U23 Vietnam in the 39th minute. However, just 3 minutes later, U23 UAE immediately equalized 1-1 from Junior's goal.
In the second half, Dinh Bac was brought on and immediately shone. The beautiful reverse header from the striker born in 2004 helped the red shirt team take a 2-1 lead. But then, the old scenario repeated when U23 UAE once again equalized the score after an impressive header in the 69th minute.
The 2-2 draw after 90 minutes of official time forced the two teams to enter extra time. The turning point of the match came in the 101st minute, when Minh Phuc was present at the right time to shoot diagonally to defeat the UAE goalkeeper, thereby helping U23 Vietnam get a ticket to the semi-finals of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.
Up to this point, U23 Vietnam has not determined their opponent in the semi-finals. According to the draw, "Golden Star Warriors" will face the winner in the match between U23 Uzbekistan and U23 China (quarterfinal 3), taking place at 6:30 PM on January 17.
It is expected that coach Kim Sang-sik and his assistants will continue to come to the stadium to watch the match to analyze the opponent.
