"The U23 Vietnam and U23 China teams will face each other in the semi-finals of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship in Saudi Arabia, promising a very dramatic match."
Both teams advanced to the semi-finals in contrasting ways, with Vietnam U23 impressing with four wins while China had to fight their way to their first-ever semi-final appearance," commented the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) website ahead of the semi-final match between Vietnam U23 and China U23, taking place at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium (Saudi Arabia) tonight (10:30 PM on January 20th, Vietnam time).
The AFC believes the match between Vietnam U23 and China U23 will be very dramatic (Photo: AFC).
According to AFC statistics, this will be the first match between Vietnam and China in the history of the AFC U23 Asian Championship. Notably, China is unbeaten in their last three encounters with the same opponent in the AFC U23 Asian Championship (2 wins, 1 draw), while Vietnam has won both of their last two matches against a new opponent in this tournament.
At the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, the Chinese team had three goalless draws, the most goalless draws any team has ever achieved in a single tournament.
Furthermore, the Chinese U23 team kept a clean sheet in all four matches at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship, whereas previously they had only kept a clean sheet once in 15 matches at the tournament.
The Vietnam U23 team is showing excellent form at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship (Photo: AFC).
As for the Vietnam U23 team, coach Kim Sang Sik's squad won all four matches on their way to the semi-finals of the 2016 AFC U23 Asian Championship, equaling their total wins from their previous five appearances. Vietnam U23 also scored 8 goals in the tournament, matching the best performance of the U23 team that finished as runners-up in 2018.
“I am extremely happy, honored, and excited to be competing for this title alongside South Korea, Japan, and China. Looking back at our matches, from the game against Jordan to the quarter-final against UAE, our players faced many difficulties and challenging moments against strong opponents.”
But each time they showed great fighting spirit and intelligent play. That's why we're in the position we are today. As usual, the Vietnamese team is facing a new challenge in football. We anticipate another difficult match, but we will fight calmly and bravely, giving our best to achieve our goals.
"I predict China will be a tough opponent. This is their first time in the semi-finals and they will be very determined, with a solid defense led by goalkeeper Li Hao. However, we are fully prepared and will play to the best of our ability," AFC quoted coach Kim Sang Sik as saying before the match.
The Chinese U23 team (in red jerseys) are very excited to participate in the semi-finals of the AFC U23 Asian Championship for the first time (Photo: AFC).
Meanwhile, the AFC noted that the Chinese team was in high spirits after defeating 2018 champions Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals, but coach Antonio Puche reminded his players to stand firm.
“We are thrilled to be here. This has been a fantastic experience for me, the whole team, and everyone involved. Our motto has always been to take it one game at a time. Reaching the semi-finals is a big dream for us, and we will do our best to get to the final.”
We know the Vietnam U23 team well, having faced them two or three times before. They are very organized, difficult to penetrate, and have an extremely effective ability to switch attacks.
"Tomorrow's match will certainly be very difficult, but my players are aware of that and are ready for the challenge," the AFC also emphasized, highlighting coach Antonio Puche's statement regarding the match against Vietnam U23.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/afc-nhan-dinh-ve-cuoc-so-tai-u23-viet-nam-u23-trung-quoc-20260119221804005.htm
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