At King Abdullah Sports City stadium on the evening of January 6 (Vietnam time), U23 Vietnam entered the game proactively and caused surprise when attacking high in the first 20 minutes of the match.
The pressure was continuously concretized in the 11th minute, when referee Choi Hyun-jai consulted the VAR and determined that the ball touched Jordan's hand in the penalty area after a corner kick situation. From the 11m spot, Nguyen Dinh Bac decisively finished, opening the score for the red team.
Before the first half closed, U23 Vietnam continued to make their mark from a set piece. In the 41st minute, Khuat Van Khang took a corner kick on the right wing, creating conditions for Nguyen Hieu Minh to rush in and finish from close range, increasing the score to 2-0. This was also the final result of the match.
Speaking after the match, coach Kim Sang-sik said: "We have trained the set pieces carefully. The players have focused during practice to put it into practice and score goals. This has been shown in previous tournaments. We are very happy to have applied it to win".
The victory over Jordan helped U23 Vietnam win all 3 points for the second consecutive time in the opening match of the U23 Asian Championship, after a 3-1 victory over Kuwait at the 2024 tournament. At the same time, this is also the first time U23 Vietnam has defeated Jordan in the continental arena, thereby creating an advantage in the race to win tickets to the quarterfinals.
Coach Kim Sang-sik also acknowledged the efforts of his players in the harsh weather conditions in Saudi Arabia, when the outdoor temperature was about 30 degrees Celsius and the match took place at 2:30 pm local time. According to him, the decline in fitness in the second half caused U23 Vietnam no small difficulties against the pressure from the opponent. "But they united, fought like a unified team to keep all 3 points," coach Kim shared.
Besides the joy of victory, coach Kim Sang-sik also expressed concern about the force situation when some players had physical problems, including Nguyen Xuan Bac. This midfielder showed pain in his ankle right after the match ended and will be checked more carefully after the whole team returns to the hotel.
Assessing the personnel changes, coach Kim Sang-sik said: "Changing players due to injury is a difficulty for U23 Vietnam in this tournament. The players have prepared well. No matter what position we are in, we have people ready to complete the task".
