This is the first time overseas Vietnamese player Tran Thanh Trung has played from the start in the U23 Vietnam jersey.
Compared to the 0-1 loss a few days ago, head coach Dinh Hong Vinh has made many changes to the starting lineup. A series of young faces and players who are less likely to play in the first leg such as goalkeeper Nguyen Tan, defender Tran Nam Hai, Nguyen Tuan Phong, midfielder Nguyen Thai Son (captain), strikers Le Van Thuan and Tran Thanh Trung were all given the opportunity to show their performance.
Before that, Thanh Trung only appeared in the last few minutes of the first leg. He was called up by coach Kim Sang-sik during the preparation for the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers and is one of the overseas Vietnamese players receiving much attention.
Entering the rematch, U23 Vietnam started without concentration and were early to let their opponents score two goals in the first half. The attacking efforts helped the team reduce the gap to 1-2 before the break thanks to a goal by Le Van Thuan.
In the second half, U23 Vietnam strengthened their squad when sending key players such as Nguyen Van Truong, Pham Ly Duc, Viktor Le and Vo Anh Quan onto the field. The playing style became more cohesive and effective, bringing in Nguyen Quoc Viet's equalizer 2-2. However, the Reds could not maintain the balance when U23 Qatar scored another goal, ending the match with a 2-3 defeat.
Although there are no desired results, the U23 Vietnam coaching staff still consider this an important opportunity to test the squad and evaluate the performance of the players, especially the young players towards the 33rd SEA Games and the 2026 U23 Asian Cup finals.
Immediately after the match, the whole team will return to Vietnam on the morning of October 14 to continue preparing for the next plans.
