U23 Kuwait won 1 point after a 1-1 draw against U23 Vietnam in the first match of the group at ASIAD 2026. After the match, coach David Doniga praised the performance of his players, and emphasized the difference in preparation time between the two teams.
The Spanish coach said that U23 Kuwait only had 5 working days together before the match. Meanwhile, he assessed U23 Vietnam as a team that has been built for a long time and has a clear unity in playing style.
First, I want to send congratulations to the players for their efforts in helping U23 Kuwait draw with U23 Vietnam. We are very happy and proud of the team that has contributed its best to bring joy to the country," coach David Doniga shared.
U23 Kuwait coach highly appreciates the opponent's quality: "U23 Vietnam won a bronze medal at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, which says everything about them. They play very well on the field, fast, strong, technical. They put high pressure and created many opportunities from the playing style that has been formed for many years".
Notably, Mr. Doniga mentioned coach Kim Sang-sik when explaining the consistency in the playing style of U23 Vietnam.
I know coach Kim Sang-sik manages both the U23 Vietnam team and the Vietnam team. I can feel that because all the players have a common idea. It is very difficult to face U23 Vietnam when I have only worked with the U23 Kuwait team for 5 days, while the opponent is a team that has been connected for several years," he said.
This statement was made in the context that coach Dinh Hong Vinh is directly leading U23 Vietnam at ASIAD 2026. Coach Kim Sang-sik is currently the head coach of the Vietnamese national team and used to lead U23 Vietnam.
In the recent match, U23 Vietnam controlled the game and created many chances but could not win. According to coach Doniga, goalkeeper Shehab Abdulredha and the U23 Kuwait defense had an important performance when facing great pressure from the opponent.
My point of view about the match is that we tried our best with the ideas in the past 5 days, to have a good result against U23 Vietnam who are too strong," coach Doniga said.
He also admitted that U23 Kuwait could have won if they had not let the opponent equalize early. However, 1 point against U23 Vietnam is still a positive result for the West Asian team in the opening match.
We worked together in training sessions, we performed very well. With injuries and changes in players, we successfully drew with U23 Vietnam," coach Doniga said.
The draw gives U23 Kuwait more opportunities to compete for tickets to the next round at ASIAD 2026. Meanwhile, U23 Vietnam will need to improve their ability to take advantage of opportunities in the next matches if they want to achieve the set goals.
