Goal to relieve pressure
I have been waiting for this goal for a long time," Nguyen Quoc Viet shared after scoring the opening goal in the 3rd place match against U23 Korea. It was a youthful combination between Dinh Bac and Quoc Viet - two players who have accompanied each other from U19, U20 to U23 Vietnam for the past 4 years. From a pass from a teammate on the left wing, Quoc Viet received the ball neatly in the penalty area, before decisively finishing to defeat the goalkeeper of U23 Korea.
This goal not only started the courageous victory of U23 Vietnam, but also a goal to relieve pressure for Quoc Viet. The center-forward born in 2003 has received no less criticism after a performance below expectations for a long time.
I had many opportunities to score. But I had to wait until the final match in the U23 generation, I could put my name on the scoreboard" - Quoc Viet expressed. Holding the U23 Asian Championship Bronze Medal in his hand, Quoc Viet happily said: "This is a very worthy reward for U23 Vietnam. My teammates played bravely. Thank you to the fans for always accompanying and supporting the whole team.
Impressive milestones
Striker Nguyen Ngoc My did not score any goals at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals or before that at SEA Games 33. However, he is often named in coach Kim Sang-sik's plans in key matches. Good physique, stable bounce and outstanding aerial ability are the advantages for the Korean strategist to trust Ngoc My. The player wearing jersey number 12 has met that requirement in the 3rd place match with U23 Korea.
At the time when U23 Vietnam was only 10 people on the field, the players had also lost a lot of strength. At that time, coach Kim Sang-sik told me to play down to support the defense. I am very happy that I did this task well" - Ngoc My shared.
The Thanh Hoa striker also said: "Before the match against U23 Korea, the whole team prepared very carefully in terms of expertise. In terms of spirit, the team was also reinstated after the defeat against U23 China. Leaving behind the sadness and disappointment after the defeat in the semi-finals, we are united and determined to bring something to the country's football. It is happy that U23 Vietnam has done more than expected when winning the U23 Asian Championship 2026 bronze medal".
Another striker of U23 Vietnam, Nguyen Thanh Nhan, also has his own special memory. The striker from Tay Ninh successfully converted the last penalty shootout to bring victory to U23 Vietnam against U23 Korea. Nearly 1 month ago, it was also Thanh Nhan who scored the decisive goal in extra time to help "Golden Star Warriors" come back to win 3-2 against U23 Thailand. Interspersed with two contributions to help U23 Vietnam achieve positive results, Thanh Nhan had to race against time to recover from injury. He shared that he once thought he was eliminated when he was injured close to the tournament day, but coach Kim Sang-sik still gave him a chance in the last U23 tournament in his career.
U23 Vietnam closed the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals with 10 goals after 6 matches. This achievement helps the team rank 2nd in scoring efficiency at the tournament, only behind defending champion U23 Japan - the team that scored the most goals with 16 goals and more than many other strong teams such as U23 Korea, U23 UAE or U23 Uzbekistan. This is also the highest number of goals of U23 Vietnam in the history of participating in the continental arena at the U23 level.
