Why should we be afraid of the Saudi Arabia U23 team?

A debate erupted on social media about the risks that the Vietnam U23 team faced ahead of their final match against Saudi Arabia U23 in Group A.

U23 Saudi Arabia (right) is causing great disappointment in the tournament - Photo: AFC

Saudi Arabia's shocking 2-3 defeat to Jordan meant Vietnam couldn't secure qualification one round early as expected.

There is a possibility – albeit a very small one – for Kim Sang Sik's team to be eliminated. That is if Jordan beats Kyrgyzstan in the final match, and Saudi Arabia beats Vietnam by 3-0, 4-1, or four goals or more.

Saudi Arabia caused a shock at the 2022 World Cup.

"Something's wrong," many Vietnamese fans commented on social media, expressing their concern.

It's a form of anxiety stemming from risks that, while seemingly small, persist, haunt us, and cause us apprehension.

The Chinese have a proverb: "Don't fear the ten thousand, only worry about the one in ten thousand chance" (meaning possibilities that only have a one in ten thousand chance of happening) to describe this situation. Similarly, Westerners have "Murphy's Law" to talk about risks that tend to arise when we worry about them.

That's the "omen" that Vietnamese football fans feared when they witnessed U23 Jordan defeat U23 Saudi Arabia, leaving coach Kim Sang Sik's team unable to celebrate despite winning both matches.

This concern is also well-founded, given that Saudi Arabia is the host nation and consistently ranks among the powerhouses of Asian football. Losing to such an opponent 0-3 on their home ground is a real possibility for most teams.

But in reality, the current Saudi Arabia U23 team is much weaker than what would be considered a "big team," and it's been a complete decline.

At the 2022 World Cup, Saudi Arabia caused a sensation in the global football world by defeating Argentina, delivering an impressive performance at the world's biggest football event.

That performance, coupled with the wave of superstars arriving en masse since the beginning of 2023 – initiated by Cristiano Ronaldo – has drawn the attention of the football world to Saudi Arabia.

But what happened next left Saudi Arabian football fans disappointed. The hype created at the 2022 World Cup turned out to be just a temporary breakthrough.

After their remarkable performance at the 2022 World Cup, Saudi Arabia were a major disappointment at the 2023 Asian Cup (eliminated in the round of 16), and subsequently in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

They lost their early qualification spot in the third stage and had to wait until the fourth stage – with numerous advantages granted by the AFC (along with many controversies) – to secure their belated ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

Vietnam U23 is by no means weaker than Saudi Arabia at this moment - Photo: TED TRAN

Saudi Arabia's youth football is not outstanding.

At the youth football levels, Saudi Arabia has also failed to make an impression, notably with their U23 team being defeated by Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals of the Hangzhou Asian Games. Furthermore, at the 2025 U20 World Cup, Saudi Arabia was eliminated in the group stage, while Japan and South Korea both advanced further.

Saudi Arabia's disappointing performances in the first two matches of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship were not entirely unexpected. Fans had hoped that home advantage would help them bounce back, but things remained unchanged.

A heavy defeat to Saudi Arabia would have been a real possibility if the match had taken place one or two decades ago. But currently, Saudi Arabia would probably only be able to do the same against very weak teams from South Asia, or... Cambodia, Timor Leste...

Of course, Kim Sang Sik and his players will not be complacent. This is a mindset that has never been seen in Vietnamese players since the South Korean coach took over the team more than a year ago.

But Dinh Bac and Van Khang can also confidently say that, at this moment, they are in no way inferior to the players from the Middle East.

Let's wait and see the decisive match between Vietnam U23 and Saudi Arabia, a match that promises to be fair and determine the top spot in the group, instead of worrying about risks that only exist in theory.

The match between Vietnam U23 and Saudi Arabia will take place on January 12th.

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tai-sao-phai-so-u23-saudi-arabia-20260110083150934.htm