With the importance of the match, the two teams entered the game cautiously and prioritized certainty in their playing style. U21 Song Lam Nghe An was the team that controlled the ball more thanks to a squad of players with experience playing in professional leagues, while U21 The Cong Viettel chose a tight approach, waiting for counter-attack opportunities.
The stalemate was maintained in the first 20 minutes when both sides did not create many clear chances. From the middle of the first half, U21 Song Lam Nghe An gradually increased pressure on the opponent's goal.
In the 33rd minute, U21 The Cong Viettel put the ball into the net of U21 Song Lam Nghe An after Thanh Binh's finish, but the goal was disallowed due to offside. In the 41st minute, from a corner kick situation, the ball bounced out in front of the penalty area and Thanh Duc launched a decisive shot, scoring the opening goal 1-0 for U21 Song Lam Nghe An.
After the break, U21 Song Lam Nghe An continued to maintain the initiative and almost doubled the gap in the 50th minute, but goalkeeper Duc Duy made an excellent save for U21 The Cong Viettel.
In the opposite direction, U21 The Cong Viettel pushed up the squad to find an equalizer, mainly exploiting attacking situations on both wings. However, the army team encountered many difficulties against the tightly organized defense system of U21 Song Lam Nghe An.
In the 72nd minute, U21 The Cong Viettel once again put the ball into the opponent's net, but the referee continued to determine that the finisher was offside.
The turning point came in the 84th minute when Nguyen Hoang of U21 Song Lam Nghe An received a second yellow card and had to leave the field. Playing with one more player in the final minutes, U21 The Cong Viettel continuously increased pressure, but could not defeat the excellence of goalkeeper Cao Van Binh and the defense of the Nghe team.
In the end, U21 Song Lam Nghe An maintained a 1-0 victory to win the 2026 National U21 Football Championship. The championship is a worthy reward for the stable performance of coach Nguyen Huy Hoang's team throughout the tournament journey.
