By defeating Saudi Arabia, Vietnam advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship as group winners.

In the 64th minute, Dinh Bac broke through on the left wing and unleashed a shot from a tight angle, beating the U23 Saudi Arabia goalkeeper and scoring the opening goal of the match.

Video : Dinh Bac scores the opening goal.

• • 89'
  • Opportunity
    Even after getting past Trung Kien, Hieu Minh was still inside. He even calmly headed the ball back to Trung Kien for a clean catch.
  • 90+6'
  • The match has ended.
    Full time!!! Vietnam U23 wins 1-0 and tops Group A.
• 83'
• Opportunity
  U23 Saudi Arabia's finishing was terrible. Salem dribbled the ball and created space, but then shot wide. Trung Kien didn't even have to dive in that play.
• 79'
• Opportunity
  What a shame!!! Le Phat skillfully dribbled past two Saudi Arabian defenders. When facing goalkeeper Shanqiti, he decided to attempt another breakthrough but it was unsuccessful.
• 75'
• Expert commentator
  Trung Kien is a standout alongside Dinh Bac. The goalkeeper is having a brilliant day with a series of saves.
• 74'
• Opportunity
  Trung Kien made another save!!! This time he pushed the ball away after a close-range header from the opponent.
• 73'
• Opportunity
  Faisal took a shot from an open position inside the penalty area. However, a Vietnamese player still managed to make a save with his body.
• 71'
• Opportunity
  Dinh Bac accelerated again and tormented the U23 Saudi Arabia defense. This play resulted in a throw-in for U23 Vietnam.
• 66'
• Expert commentator
  With the current score, the two teams advancing are still U23 Vietnam and U23 Jordan.
• 65'
• Goal
  GOAL!!! GOAL!!! Vietnam U23 scores the opening goal despite being outplayed! Dinh Bac dribbled brilliantly and, from a very tight angle, still managed a powerful shot that found the back of the net against Saudi Arabia U23.
• • 
  • 
• 61'
• Substitution
  Vietnam U23 made a substitution. Minh Phúc came on to replace Minh Quân.
• 60'
• Opportunity
  No goal!!! Abdulaziz had space again, but the scenario was no different as Trung Kien made a fantastic save.
• 58'
• Opportunity
  From a considerable distance, Thai Son confidently unleashed a shot, creating a dangerous opportunity towards the U23 Saudi Arabia goal.
• 53'
• Opportunity
  It's Trung Kien again!!!! The space for Abdulaziz was bigger, but his shot still couldn't beat the Vietnam U23 goalkeeper.
• 52'
• Expert commentator
  Trung Kien is currently a solid pillar in the U23 Vietnam goal. He controls the space very well and cleanly finishes off crosses into the penalty area.
• 48'
• Opportunity
  Al Juwayr's long-range shot from outside the penalty area wasn't particularly dangerous, and Trung Kien made a clean save.
• 47'
• Yellow Card
  Immediately after entering the field, Dinh Bac was involved in a challenge with Al Ghamdi. The incident wasn't particularly serious, but referee Alex King still went to check VAR. Fortunately, however, he only issued a yellow card.
• 46'
• Comment
  The second half has begun! Dinh Bac and Le Phat have come onto the field to replace Le Viktor and Cong Phuong.
• 45+5'
• Expert commentator
  With the current score, U23 Vietnam and U23 Jordan will advance. Hosts U23 Saudi Arabia and U23 Kyrgyzstan will be eliminated.
• 45+4'
• Comment
  The first half ended with the score still 0-0.
• 45'
• Opportunity
  We narrowly avoided defeat!!! It was Faisal's turn to shoot from distance, but the ball went just wide of the post.
• 43'
• Opportunity
  Trung Kien!!! Al Khaibri's header was incredibly dangerous and it looked like the net was about to be shaken. But Trung Kien and the post saved Vietnam U23 from conceding.
• 37'
• Opportunity
  Abdulaziz took another long-range shot. The ball deflected off a Vietnamese U23 player, but Trung Kien was still able to make a clean save.
• 36'
• Opportunity
  What a shame!!! Khuat Van Khang made an effort to dribble down the left wing and then crossed the ball. However, Le Viktor was not in the best position to finish.
• • 
• 34'
• Opportunity
  No goal!!! Salem Al Najdi had space to shoot diagonally, but goalkeeper Trung Kien was alert and made the save.
• 33'
• Goal
  U23 Jordan - U23 Kyrgyzstan: 1-0. U23 Jordan opened the scoring with a header from captain Ali Al Azaizeh.
• 30 minutes
• Comment
  U23 Jordan - U23 Kyrgyzstan: 0-0. The other match being played at the same time also has no score.
• 27'
• Opportunity
  U23 Saudi Arabia had a rare moment of promising teamwork inside the penalty area. However, captain Al Juwayr's shot lacked accuracy.
• 21'
• Comment
  U23 Saudi Arabia is having a hard time breaking through the defense of U23 Vietnam.
• • 
• 19'
• Yellow Card
  Cong Phuong just received a yellow card after a tackle on Salem.
• 15 minutes
• Opportunity
  Abdulaziz received the ball again and took a shot, but it was still inaccurate.
• 9'
• Comment
  U23 Saudi Arabia is putting pressure on Vietnam, but U23 Vietnam is not at all at a disadvantage. Coach Kim Sang Sik's team is organizing its defense scientifically and has very open counter-attacks on the right flank.
• 7'
• Opportunity
  U23 Saudi Arabia had a clear breakaway, but goalkeeper Trung Kien rushed out quickly to make the save.
• 6'
• Opportunity
  From the right wing, Anh Quân broke free into plenty of space and delivered a dangerous low cross. Al Dosari had to stretch to his limit to clear the ball out of bounds.
• 3'
• Opportunity
  Abdulaziz received the ball outside the penalty area and unleashed a powerful shot that went high into the air.
• 1'
• Start the match
  The match has started! Vietnam U23 are wearing white uniforms. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia U23 are wearing blue shirts.

Vietnam U23 starting lineup - Graphic: AN BINH

Group A is a strange group. Vietnam U23 has won both of their matches but has not yet secured a place in the next round. Kyrgyzstan U23 has lost both of their matches but is still not eliminated. Saudi Arabia U23 and Jordan U23 have one win and one loss each, and their fate remains uncertain.

While the Vietnam U23 team only needs to lose by less than two goals to advance to the quarterfinals, they therefore have the most advantages before entering the decisive match against Saudi Arabia.

The total transfer value of the Saudi Arabia U23 team is 9.2 million euros (the highest in the tournament), three times that of the Vietnam U23 team (3.13 million euros, ranked 11th out of 16 teams), according to estimates from the transfer website Transfermarkt.

In terms of physical attributes, the Saudi Arabian U23 players also appeared superior to the Vietnamese U23 players. The average height of the Vietnamese U23 team was 177.39cm, ranking 15th out of 16 teams, while the Saudi Arabian U23 team ranked 14th out of 16 teams with an average height of 179.17cm.

Coach Kim Sang Sik's team is quite small with an average weight of 69.87kg, while the average weight of the Saudi Arabia U23 team exceeds 70kg.

In terms of playing experience, the average birth year of the Vietnam U23 team is 2003.67, ranking 14th out of 16 teams, while the average birth year of the Saudi Arabia U23 team is 2004.13, ranking 10th out of 16 teams. However, it is difficult to say whether the Vietnam U23 players are more experienced. The reason is that the Saudi Arabia U23 players have been exposed to the atmosphere of the Saudi Pro League, a much higher level of football than the V-League.

In the past, the Vietnam U23 team reached the final (2018) and the quarter-finals twice in the AFC U23 Asian Championship (2022 and 2024). This is a rather impressive achievement, but it cannot be compared to the Saudi Arabia U23 team. The West Asian representative boasts a formidable record in the AFC U23 Asian Championship with one championship title (2022), two runner-up finishes (2013, 2020), and one quarter-final appearance (2024).

In terms of footballing standards and past achievements, Saudi Arabia is superior to Vietnam. However, considering their current form and results from the last two matches, the Vietnam U23 team seems to have the advantage.

Will Coach Kim Sang Sik and his team continue their fairytale run at this year's U23 Asian Championship by defeating host nation Saudi Arabia? Follow the match live on Tuoi Tre Online , starting at 10:30 PM.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/u23-viet-nam-saudi-arabia-hiep-2-1-0-dinh-bac-mo-ti-so-20260112145929087.htm