On the evening of January 9, U23 Vietnam won 2-1 against U23 Kyrgyzstan in the second match of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals, thereby continuing to maintain a winning streak and temporarily leading Group A.
Although not completely overwhelming the opponent, coach Kim Sang-sik's team still achieved an important goal thanks to their ability to adjust the game reasonably in the second half.
U23 Vietnam started the match relatively proactively and soon concretized their advantage with the opening goal in the 19th minute, when Khuat Van Khang successfully converted a penalty.
However, before the first half ended, U23 Kyrgyzstan equalized 1-1 thanks to Marlen's quality finish. This goal conceded forced U23 Vietnam to recalculate their approach to the match in the remaining time.
In the second half, coach Kim Sang-sik made many important personnel changes, before Van Thuan left his mark in the goal that helped U23 Vietnam seal a 2-1 victory.
According to commentator Quang Tung's assessment, these adjustments were made at the right time and brought clear results. The substitutions helped U23 Vietnam play more coherently, limiting dangerous passes in midfield, and creating more hope to end the match with victory.
Commentator Quang Tung analyzed: "In the 70th minute, U23 Vietnam substituted and created a breakthrough. Dinh Bac and Van Thuan had speed and dribbling ability. Van Thuan's finish was not accurate but caused confusion for the opponent, making them passive.
Which part to score with is not the decisive factor, but more importantly the fighting spirit. U23 Vietnam rolled and struggled in the final minutes to bring a corner kick. That is something that belongs to very high will and spirit".
From a professional perspective, coach Pham Minh Duc highly appreciates the adaptation of Vietnamese players against opponents with good physique and speed. He believes that when facing continental teams, the factor of strength is a clear challenge, but U23 Vietnam has compensated with spirit and personal skills.
The fighting spirit and handling ability of the players were shown quite well. Thanks to that, the team regained the game and maintained an organized playing style," Mr. Duc commented.
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