On the evening of September 3, U23 Vietnam won 2-0 against U23 Bangladesh in the opening match of the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers. This result helped coach Kim Sang-sik and his team lead Group C, both with 3 points with U23 Yemen but ranked above thanks to the extra goal difference.
Evaluating the match, coach Kim Sang-sik said: "Today the match took place in hot weather but we had a good result, I am satisfied with the result of today's match. In the second half, U23 Vietnam had many opportunities but the opposing team's goalkeeper excellently blocked them.
In the last match, U23 Vietnam created many opportunities but were unlucky in some situations with crossbars and vertical pillars. In the second half, the opponent played well, the goalkeeper saved the goal well. Overall, I am not satisfied but will improve to prepare for the following matches".
Regarding the remaining opponents in Group C, U23 Yemen and U23 Singapore, coach Kim Sang-sik commented: "I was there to watch the two teams compete. The most important thing is physical strength. The hot temperature affected the players on the field the most, especially in the 90 minute competition. The 4 teams are of equal level, so we have to prepare the most carefully."
Coach Kim Sang-sik also praised Viktor Le, Thanh Nhan and Xuan Bac. He said: "Viktor Le performed well, adhered to the tactics, congratulated him on scoring today. As for Thanh Nhan, this is his first return from injury, an impressive comeback, moving smartly. Hopefully he will perform better in the remaining 2 matches.
As for Xuan Bac, his physical strength is good, he runs quite a lot but can improve his passing and the way he moves on the field will be more comprehensive in the future".
On the other side of the front line, assistant Hassan Al Mamun of U23 Bangladesh believes that U23 Vietnam is the strongest opponent in the group. He also said that the reason for the U23 Bangladesh failure did not come from the absence of a coach.
"The players' task is to compete regardless of whether there is a coach or not. The absence of a coach is not the reason. U23 Vietnam is the strongest opponent in the group, that is the reason we lost," assistant Hassan Al Mamun shared.
He also said that U23 Bangladesh aims to defeat U23 Yemen in the next match to keep the hope of winning a ticket to the 2026 U23 Asian Cup finals.
"We definitely have to get a good result in this match (against Yemen). We calculate for each match but we are determined to win both matches to qualify for the final round," added Hassan Al Mamun.
