Historical changes
As of before the quarter-finals this year, U23 Vietnam has never won against U23 UAE. The two teams have met 8 times in both official and friendly tournaments, with the result leaning towards UAE: 5 wins and 3 draws. After 8 encounters, U23 Vietnam has only scored 6 goals and conceded 15 goals.
U23 Vietnam's defeats against UAE lasted through many generations. In the 1/8 round of ASIAD 17 in 2014, U23 Vietnam under the guidance of coach Toshiya Miura lost 1-3. In the group stage of the 2016 AFC U23 Championship, although Cong Phuong and Tuan Anh scored, U23 Vietnam still lost 2-3 in a match that revealed limitations in defense.
The saddest memory is the bronze medal match at ASIAD 18 in 2018. At that time, coach Park Hang-seo's team drew 3-3 after 120 minutes before losing on penalties. U23 Vietnam was very close to a historic victory, but once again missed the opportunity to overcome the "ball" UAE.
In the two most recent encounters, the gap has widened. U23 Vietnam lost 0-3 (2022) and 0-4 (2023) in friendly matches, showing the superiority in physique, fitness and speed of young UAE players. However, football is not only decided by history.
In the group stage of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, U23 Vietnam showed a clear change in psychology and fighting spirit. The victories against U23 Jordan and U23 Saudi Arabia show that coach Kim Sang-sik's team is gradually breaking the invisible barriers.
The rematch with U23 UAE is therefore more meaningful than a quarter-final match. It is an opportunity for U23 Vietnam to face history and find ways to change it, thereby affirming the maturity of Vietnamese youth football in the continental arena.
Belief from bravery and patience
In the group stage, U23 UAE defeated U23 Qatar 2-0, lost to U23 Japan 0-3 and drew with U23 Syria 1-1. Notably, the U23 UAE squad has up to 6 naturalized players. This is a noteworthy factor for the U23 Vietnam coaching staff.
Before this confrontation, the belief in U23 Vietnam was strengthened not only by the achievement of winning all matches in the group stage, but also through professional assessments. Commentator Quang Huy said that Vietnamese football often encounters West Asian teams when going deep in the continental arena is inevitable.
We still often imagine a scenario like this: West Asian teams, even though they know Vietnam is a "small pepper" and not subjective, but when entering the match, their mindset is inherently players from countries with conditions, so they often have the appearance of a "superior".
In the opposite direction, U23 Vietnam shows suitability when playing underdogs. “Meanwhile, Vietnam has confidence when ready to play underdogs, ready to endure. And if we overcome the physical challenge, we usually achieve good results,” commentator Quang Huy commented.
Three consecutive victories in the group stage helped U23 Vietnam win the group stage in a continental tournament for the first time.
“No Vietnamese team, both men's, women's, and futsal, has ever won in the continental arena in the group stage,” commentator Quang Huy shared.
In the victory against U23 Saudi Arabia, the role of goalkeeper Trung Kien was considered a fulcrum. "Trung Kien is a fulcrum. Without Trung Kien, there would definitely be no victory". Along with that was the brilliance of Dinh Bac and the spirit of collective defense.
According to the schedule, the 2026 AFC U23 Championship quarter-final match between U23 Vietnam and U23 UAE takes place at 10:30 PM on January 16. In a context where history does not support it, but the form and psychology are improving, U23 Vietnam still has the right to hope. As commentator Quang Huy assessed, if they continue to maintain patience and bravery, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team can completely expect "sweet fruit" against opponents from West Asia.
