U23 Vietnam won the right to enter the semi-finals of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship after a dramatic 3-2 victory over U23 UAE in the quarter-finals.
Immediately after the match, Chairman of the Vietnam Football Federation Tran Quoc Tuan, on behalf of the Executive Committee and Standing Committee, sent congratulations to the whole team, and decided to give a hot bonus of 1.2 billion VND to recognize the efforts and fighting spirit of coach Kim Sang-sik and his team.
Up to this point, U23 Vietnam has received a total of 3.1 billion VND in bonuses. Previously, in the group stage, Dinh Bac and his teammates were rewarded 1.9 billion VND thanks to their all-win record after three matches against Jordan, Kyrgyzstan and Saudi Arabia.
Returning to the quarter-final match, the two teams continuously took turns creating advantages. U23 Vietnam showed perseverance in approaching the match, while U23 UAE also maintained pressure with a physically strong playing style.
After 90 minutes of official play, the two teams drew 2-2 with goals from Le Phat, Dinh Bac, Junior, Menhaili, forcing them to enter extra time. U23 Vietnam took advantage of the opportunity to score the decisive goal from Minh Phuc's shot, thereby closing the match with a narrow victory.
At this time, U23 Vietnam has not yet determined the next opponent. According to the branch, Mr. Kim Sang-sik's team will meet the winning team in the match between U23 Uzbekistan and U23 China, taking place at 6:30 PM on January 17.
