U23 Vietnam has created a new milestone at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship when they defeated U23 UAE for the first time, after many years without favorable results.
The 3-2 victory in the quarter-finals brought coach Kim Sang-sik and his team to the semi-finals, and also closed a nearly two decades-long series of inferior confrontations against the West Asian representative.
As predicted, the match took place with a tense scenario. U23 Vietnam entered the game proactively and created a balanced match against the opponent. In the 39th minute, Le Phat took advantage of the opportunity to open the score, but U23 UAE quickly brought the match back to the starting line just minutes later.
In the second half, the U23 Vietnam coaching staff made personnel adjustments. Dinh Bac was brought on the field and left a clear mark with a delicate header, putting the home team ahead 2-1. However, U23 UAE continued to show good use when scoring the equalizer in the 69th minute, forcing the two teams to enter extra time.
The turning point appeared in the 101st minute, when Minh Phuc was present at the right time to launch a diagonal shot, sealing a 3-2 victory for U23 Vietnam.
Before this match, the history of confrontations did not support U23 Vietnam. In the previous 8 encounters, the "Golden Star Warriors" had never defeated U23 UAE, with 3 draws and 5 defeats. Incomplete memories stretching from ASIAD 2002, U23 Asian Championship 2016, ASIAD 2018 to friendly matches made UAE considered a "taboo" opponent.
At this year's AFC U23 Championship, U23 Vietnam also created many new milestones such as winning all 3 matches and winning 9 points in the group stage, defeating and eliminating the host Saudi Arabia right in the group stage.
