Determined not to be haunted by past 'ghosts', Vietnam U23 will advance to the quarterfinals in a spectacular fashion.

In 2023, at the U.20 Asian Championship, the Vietnam U.20 team played exceptionally well, winning both of their first two matches, but were still painfully eliminated after losing their final group stage game. The current situation for the Vietnam U.23 team is similar, but the final outcome is very likely to be different!

Báo Thanh niên•12/01/2026

The 2023 group stage was too tough.

In fact, that year, Coach Hoang Anh Tuan's Vietnam U20 team was unlucky to be drawn into an extremely tough group, the toughest group in the 2023 Asian U20 Championship. Vietnam's opponents three years ago included Qatar (we won 2-1), Australia (we won 1-0), and Iran (we lost 1-3). Among these, Australia and Iran are representatives of footballing nations in the top 5 in Asia, on par with Japan, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, the Qatar U20 team comes from a footballing nation that hosted the 2022 World Cup and won the 2019 Asian Cup.

Captain Khuat Van Khang (11) is a historical witness to the shock related to the Vietnam U.20 team in 2023.

Photo: TED Tran

The situation for the Vietnam U20 team at the 2023 AFC U20 Championship was even more precarious than the current situation of the Vietnam U23 team . That year, in the final group stage match, we were forced to draw or lose to Iran U20 by a margin of one goal, while also scoring many goals (for example, losing 2-3 or 3-4 or more). Having to score many goals against a much stronger team is an overwhelming task for any team in the world , not just the Vietnam U20 team.

What should Vietnam U23 be wary of in their crucial quarter-final match against Saudi Arabia?

That's why, at the end of the match against Iran U20 at the 2023 Asian Championship, Vietnam U20, with players like Khuat Van Khang and Nguyen Dinh Bac in the lineup, was forced to continue playing offensively when the score was 1-2. Coach Hoang Anh Tuan's players were exhausted in the final minutes due to this forced attacking situation, before conceding another goal in the 4th minute of added time in the second half, ultimately losing 1-3.

The situation is no longer dire for the Vietnam U23 team.

Meanwhile, in this year's AFC U-23 Championship , the situation for the Vietnam U-23 team in their final group stage match against Saudi Arabia U-23 tonight is much more favorable. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team only needs to lose by less than 3-4 goals to secure a place in the quarter-finals.

The current Vietnam U.23 team is in a better position than the Vietnam U.20 team was in 2023.

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

No matter how strong the Saudi Arabia U23 team is, scoring 3-4 goals or more against Vietnam U23 is not an easy task. They will be forced to play offensively from the start. Pushing forward to score 3-4 goals or more, while also trying to keep a clean sheet against Vietnam U23's sharp counter-attacks, is an extremely difficult undertaking.

Therefore, the current Vietnam U23 team has more tactical options compared to the Vietnam U20 team of three years ago. With a better situation, the U23 players will also have a better mentality than their compatriots in the U20 team of yesteryear. With a better mentality, their ball handling will be more precise.

In a better position, I believe the young players of the Vietnam U23 team will not let history repeat itself. We will secure our place in the quarterfinals after the match against Saudi Arabia U23 tonight.