Vietnam U23's starting lineup in the match against China U23 - Graphic: AN BINH
On the evening of January 20th, coach Kim Sang Sik announced the starting lineup for the Vietnam U23 team against China U23 in the semi-finals of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship, which will take place at 10:30 PM today in Saudi Arabia.
Compared to the quarter-final victory against UAE U23, which ended in extra time (3-2), coach Kim Sang Sik made one change. The South Korean coach brought in Cong Phuong to play as a striker, replacing Viktor Le.
The two remaining forward positions are still the same: Ngoc My and Nguyen Le Phat. Le Phat has switched back to his preferred left wing position, instead of playing right as he did in the quarter-finals.
Notably, this is the first time in the tournament that coach Kim Sang Sik has fielded two very young wing forwards together: Cong Phuong (20 years old) and Le Phat (19 years old). In the two previous matches, he alternated between these two players alongside Ngoc My and Viktor Le.
Key strikers Nguyen Dinh Bac and Thanh Nhan have fully recovered from their injuries, but coach Kim is not in a hurry to use them in the starting lineup.
The midfield quartet remains unchanged: Van Khang, Thai Son, Xuan Bac, and Minh Phuc. Similarly, goalkeeper Trung Kien and the central defensive trio of Nhat Minh, Hieu Minh, and Ly Duc are also unchanged.
China's U23 team reached the semi-finals for the first time with an extremely effective defensive style, not conceding a single goal. Meanwhile, Vietnam's U23 team reached the semi-finals with a confident and assertive style, daring to attack against stronger opponents to secure victories.
Therefore, this match is highly anticipated. It could also be a tribute to goalkeeper Li Hao or to striker Dinh Bac and other forwards of the Vietnam U23 team.
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NGUYEN KHOI
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ong-kim-tiep-tuc-bo-tri-doi-hinh-la-cho-u23-viet-nam-dau-u23-trung-quoc-20260120193802099.htm
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