On the evening of January 20, U23 Vietnam suffered a 0-3 defeat to U23 China in the semi-finals of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, thereby closing hopes of reaching the final.
The match left many regrets for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team, when the "Golden Star Warriors" faced a major disadvantage in terms of force for most of the match.
U23 Vietnam entered the game with determination, organizing a tight squad to limit pressure from the opponent. However, the game gradually became difficult when U23 China made good use of their physical advantage and ability to compete.
The turning point came in the first half, when center-back Hieu Minh suffered a serious injury after a collision and was forced to leave the field for emergency treatment. The disruption in the defense caused U23 Vietnam to be confused in maintaining the formation distance.
In the second half, U23 China increased the pressure and continuously created dangerous situations. In the context of trying to find an equalizer, U23 Vietnam continued to suffer more losses when center-back Ly Duc received a direct red card, forcing the team to play with fewer players in the final minutes of the match.
This defeat prevented U23 Vietnam from re-establishing the achievement of reaching the final as expected, even though the team had previously had a fairly impressive journey from the group stage to the quarter-finals.
In the first semi-final held earlier, U23 Korea also had to stop when they lost to U23 Japan with a score of 0-1, in a match where they were put under great pressure by the opponent.
Accordingly, U23 Vietnam will meet U23 Korea in the 3rd place match of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals. This is an opportunity for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team to close the tournament with a positive result, and at the same time accumulate more experience against top continental opponents.
The 3rd place match between U23 Vietnam and U23 Korea takes place at 10:00 PM on January 23.
