On the evening of January 17, U23 Uzbekistan and U23 China met in the quarter-finals of the 3rd round of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals. The two teams created some dangerous opportunities but could not score in the two official halves.
Entering the two extra periods, China and Uzbekistan actively played slower, avoiding unnecessary mistakes. It was not surprising that the match ended with a score of 0-0, forcing the two teams to enter a penalty shootout to decide the winner.
From the penalty spot, U23 China showed bravery when they only missed 1 shot, while U23 Uzbekistan missed 2 shots. In the end, China defeated the opponent with a score of 4-2 to win a ticket to the semi-finals.
1 day earlier, U23 Vietnam defeated U23 UAE with a score of 3-2 in the second quarter-final match. Nguyen Le Phat, Nguyen Dinh Bac and Pham Minh Phuc were the scorers who helped their team win a ticket to the semi-finals.
According to the schedule, the semi-final match between U23 Vietnam and U23 China will take place at 10:30 PM on January 20. This is a fairly familiar time frame for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team and often brings joy of victory.
U23 Vietnam semi-final schedule at the AFC U23 Championship:
10:30 PM on January 20th: U23 Vietnam - U23 China
