Waiting for the explosive performance of U.23 Vietnam

The Vietnam U23 team had a good start in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers with a 2-0 victory over Bangladesh U23, but that is not the true strength of coach Kim Sang-sik and his team.

" TRANSFORMATION"

Vietnam U23's 2-0 victory over Bangladesh U23 could have been even more emphatic if goalkeeper Mehdi Srabon hadn't made some spectacular saves, plus the ball hitting the crossbar and post three times. Coach Kim Sang-sik once again surprised everyone by only bringing on captain Van Khang in the second half, making way for Ngoc My's first start. This is not surprising, as since the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, Vietnam U23 has never fielded the same starting lineup. The Vietnamese national team at the 2024 AFF Cup also constantly changed their lineup, surprising opponents with unexpected new names, and notably, winning every time.

Vietnam U.23 team (22) will rotate the attacking line to prepare for the decisive match with Yemen U.23

Photo: Minh Tú

It was noticeable that the Vietnam U23 team played without a traditional center forward, with Dinh Bac playing highest up the pitch, frequently moving wide to draw defenders away. With this new lineup, the Vietnam U23 team started quite slowly against the tenacious defense of the Bangladesh U23 team. Their attacks down the flanks were still ineffective, with inaccurate passes and crosses failing to capitalize on the effectiveness of crosses into the box. Despite playing at a slow pace, the Vietnam U23 team still scored a beautiful goal through Ngoc My after a pass from Dinh Bac.

Bangladeshi media points out the reasons why their team lost to Vietnam U23.

In the second half, having understood the opponent's playing style, Coach Kim brought on Van Khang, Quoc Viet, and Le Viktor, forcing the Bangladesh U.23 team to constantly defend against the relentless barrage of attacks.

Quoc Viet (9) "shares the fire" with Dinh Bac in the attack line.

Commentator Vu Quang Huy remarked: "Changing the starting lineup is a familiar style of coach Kim Sang-sik. This allows the Vietnam U23 team to proactively rotate players, learn from experience, and adjust in each match. In football, the first match is always very difficult, so the Vietnam U23 team is still quite cautious, although many people thought Coach Kim might have shuffled the squad even more. Personally, I think Coach Kim can be satisfied with the performance of his players, as both new and old players performed well, and the attacking plan was quite coherent. This approach helps the Vietnam U23 team build depth in their squad, providing many options and ensuring that players are always ready for the next steps."

REVEALING TRUE POWER

Vietnam U23's opening goal in the 15th minute was exactly what coach Kim Sang-sik wanted to see more often, with Dinh Bac dropping back to draw the central defender, delivering an assist for Ngoc My to exploit the space and score. The second goal, a tactical header by Ly Duc for Le Viktor to finish from close range, was a signature move of Vietnam U23 under coach Kim. The fact that Ngoc My and Le Viktor both scored their first goals for Vietnam U23 can be seen as a positive point for coach Kim's player selection. These two goals show a team aiming for diversity in attack, playing a style of football based on collective mobility, not entirely dependent on any single individual. In fact, this style of play was demonstrated in their victory at the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, where Dinh Bac and central defender Hieu Minh were the team's top scorers with two goals each, alongside Van Khang, Ly Duc, Xuan Bac, and Cong Phuong.

The Vietnam U23 team is currently operating quite smoothly.

Vietnam U23 will face increasingly stronger opponents ahead, with a match against Singapore U23 on September 6th and a crucial clash against Yemen U23 on September 9th to compete for the top spot in Group C. Coach Kim Sang-sik will certainly continue to make appropriate adjustments (especially in the attacking line) to make Vietnam U23 play more aggressively and score more goals. Coach Vu Quang Huy stated: "If there's anything that needs improvement, in my opinion, it's that the players need to finish better. We created so many opportunities; we shouldn't have missed them. In the current Vietnam U23 squad, Dinh Bac is still the best player, capable of constantly putting pressure on the opponent's goal, allowing the rest of the players to create space for shots. We were a little cautious in the first match, but I believe the attacking line will be in better form and play more explosively in the following matches."

The advantage for the Vietnam U23 team is that they are facing increasingly stronger opponents. Coach Kim Sang-sik will rotate his attacking line more in the match against Singapore U23, and also in the final match against Yemen U23. The brilliance of the South Korean coach lies in knowing how to use the right players at each moment. We clearly saw the Vietnam U23 team accelerate, completely dominate, and create many opportunities in the second half against Bangladesh U23. Personally, I believe the Vietnam U23 team remains the strongest opponent in Group C, and Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will aim for three consecutive wins."

Watch live and in full Group C - 2026 AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers onFPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cho-man-trinh-dien-bung-no-cua-u23-viet-nam-185250904233202901.htm