The 1-0 victory over U23 Saudi Arabia in the last match of Group A of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship not only helped U23 Vietnam win a ticket to the quarter-finals with the top spot in the group, but also created a big buzz in international media. Immediately after the match, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) both had noteworthy shares about the performance of the Vietnamese youth team.
On the homepage, AFC praised goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien - who is considered a key stopper in U23 Vietnam's victory. This agency commented: "Goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien had an excellent performance, continuously denying clear opportunities from U23 Saudi Arabia, helping Vietnam stand firm against great pressure from the home team.
Reality on the field shows that U23 Saudi Arabia controlled the ball superiorly and created many dangerous situations, especially in the first half. Players such as Musab Aljuwayr, Abdulaziz Alelewai or Salem Alnajdi continuously finished from distance and in the penalty area. However, goalkeeper Trung Kien maintained high concentration, good reflexes and chose a reasonable position to neutralize the pressure. Notably, the situation right before the break, when Thamer Alkhaibari's header hit the post by a hair's breadth.
In the opposite direction, Dinh Bac's moment of brilliance created a difference for U23 Vietnam. AFC described: "A surprise happened in the 64th minute when U23 Vietnam took the lead. From Awad Dahal's ball loss mistake, Nguyen Ngoc My passed to Dinh Bac who rushed into the penalty area and then launched a dangerous diagonal shot, defeating goalkeeper Hamed Yousef".
This goal is not only decisive but also shows the ability to take advantage of opportunities effectively of the red shirt team.
Not only AFC, FIFA's official fanpage also quickly posted images celebrating the victory of U23 Vietnam with a short but impressive caption: "Fly like TK1. Shoot like DB7." This sharing is considered a special recognition for goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien and striker Dinh Bac - the two most outstanding factors of the match.
Closing the group stage with 3 consecutive wins, U23 Vietnam showed clear progress in organization, playing style, fighting spirit and ability to seize opportunities. The records from AFC and FIFA are proof of the convincing performance of coach Kim Sang-sik's team before entering the quarter-finals of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.
