A narrow 1-0 victory against U23 Singapore and a 2-0 win against U23 Bangladesh have put U23 Vietnam at the top of Group C after two matches.
Vietnam U23 and Yemen U23 – who beat Bangladesh U23 1-0 and Singapore U23 2-1 respectively – both have 6 points, but Vietnam U23 is ranked higher due to a better goal difference (+3 compared to +2).
With a better goal difference, Vietnam U23 only needs a draw to qualify for the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship.
If they lose to U23 Yemen, U23 Vietnam will compete for one of the four spots reserved for the best-performing second-placed teams.
Because the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers have 11 groups (with 11 group winners and the 4 best-performing second-placed teams advancing), the competition among the second-placed teams is fierce.
If U23 Vietnam loses to U23 Yemen, they will lose their right to determine their own fate in qualifying for the finals.
Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team must finish among the top four best second-placed teams in their respective groups to advance.
In this scenario, Vietnam would have 6 points with a goal difference of +2 or less. This is not a remarkable achievement when compared to the other 10 groups in the qualifying round.
After the second round of matches, all four best-performing second-placed teams – China U23, Iran U23, Turkmenistan U23, and Yemen U23 – have 6 points after two games. Of these, only Yemen U23 has a worse goal difference than Vietnam U23.
Additionally, the other five second-placed teams, including U23 Indonesia, U23 Kyrgyzstan, U23 Lebanon, U23 Cambodia, and U23 Kuwait, all have 4 points after 2 matches.
Therefore, if they lose to Yemen, the Vietnam U23 team needs to strive for a narrow defeat. In the event of a heavy defeat, coach Kim Sang-sik's team will almost certainly be eliminated.
With the home advantage and a seemingly stronger squad, the Vietnam U23 team can certainly achieve their goal of earning points against Yemen U23 – a team that also didn't show much in their two previous matches against Bangladesh U23 and Singapore U23.
Even before this match, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team were highly determined to win in order to secure a direct qualification spot and dedicate it to their fans.
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/kich-ban-de-u23-viet-nam-lot-vao-vck-u23-chau-a-2026-166985.html
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