In the last match of Group A of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, U23 Vietnam defeated U23 Saudi Arabia with a score of 1-0. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team won all 3 matches, won first place in the group and reached the quarter-finals. This is a historical milestone for Vietnamese youth football when setting many historical milestones in the continental arena.
For the first time, U23 Vietnam passed the group stage of the AFC U23 Championship with the top spot in the group. Not only going further, Dinh Bac and his teammates also did something unprecedented when they won all 3 group stage matches. Against U23 Jordan, U23 Kyrgyzstan and especially the host U23 Saudi Arabia, U23 Vietnam showed proactiveness, bravery and good game control.
The victory over Saudi Arabia is even more special as this is the first time U23 Vietnam has defeated the host team in a U23 Asian Championship final, and directly caused this opponent to stop right from the group stage.
Compared to previous participations, U23 Vietnam has made clear progress. In the 2018 group stage, the team only won 4 points (1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss); in 2020 stopped with 2 points (2 draws, 1 loss); in 2022 won 5 points (1 win, 2 draws) and in 2024 was 6 points (2 wins, 1 loss).
This is not only a milestone in terms of achievements, but also an affirmation of the comprehensive maturity of Vietnamese youth football after 10 years of persistent accumulation.
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