In the arduous 2-1 victory of U23 Vietnam against U23 Kyrgyzstan in the second match of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals, midfielder Thai Son left a strong impression and was voted by the organizers as the Player of the Match.
Playing in the central role in midfield, Thai Son is an important link helping U23 Vietnam maintain the game and control the tempo for most of the match. Faced with the physically strong, fiercely pressing playing style of U23 Kyrgyzstan, this midfielder still showed composure, good pressing ability and flexible ball handling thinking.
Not only completing the regulation task well, Thai Son also regularly appeared at hot spots, supported long-range defense and participated in organizing attacks. In the first half, he had many important ball touches in the area of 1/3 of the opponent's field, contributing to creating continuous pressure on the U23 Kyrgyzstan defense. In the second half, when the whole team's fitness declined, Thai Son still maintained his dynamism, persistence and positive fighting spirit.
Notably, in the 55th minute, Thai Son had a chance to finish from the second line after a good combination of Van Khang and Le Phat, but the shot went just wide of the goal. Before that, this midfielder also had some skillful handling in the penalty area, showing confidence and desire to score.
Although not directly scoring, Thai Son's comprehensive performance made an important contribution to the overall game, creating a premise for U23 Vietnam to maintain proactiveness and win in the final minutes. The title of Player of the Match is a worthy reward for the tireless efforts of the midfielder born in 2003.
With stable form through two matches, Thai Son is showing an increasingly important role in coach Kim Sang-sik's tactical system, and at the same time brings many expectations for the journey to conquer the quarter-final ticket of U23 Vietnam at this year's tournament.
