Korean media acknowledges that the Vietnamese U23 team is a formidable opponent.

VHO - Ahead of the U23 Vietnam match in the third-place playoff of the 2026 U23 Asian Championship, South Korean media expressed concern about their team's form, while also paying close attention to and highly praising the role of coach Kim Sang-sik in Vietnam's impressive football journey.

Despite losing to China U23 in the semi-finals, Vietnam U23's previous journey was still highly regarded.

The third-place match of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship between Vietnam U23 and South Korea U23, taking place at 10 PM today, January 23rd, in Saudi Arabia, is attracting significant attention from the South Korean media. Many South Korean newspapers acknowledge that their team is facing immense pressure, both professionally and in terms of pride.

The Osen newspaper frankly pointed out the unconvincing performances of the South Korean U23 team in this year's tournament. The team started the group stage with a 0-0 draw against Iran, then came from behind to win 4-2 against Lebanon, and lost 0-2 to Uzbekistan, even though the Uzbekistan players were mostly two years younger than the South Korean players.

The South Korean U23 team even narrowly avoided early elimination and only secured their place in the quarterfinals after Lebanon's unexpected 1-0 victory over Iran's U23 team.

Despite defeating U23 Australia in the quarterfinals, coach Lee Min-sung's team continued to reveal its weaknesses by suffering a comprehensive defeat against U23 Japan in the semifinals. Notably, U23 Japan only used their U21 squad in preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics (USA).

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese U23 team is seen by the South Korean media as a formidable opponent.

The Osen newspaper called the group stage victories of coach Kim Sang-sik's team the "Kim Sang-sik miracle," emphasizing that Vietnam is the only Southeast Asian team to have won all their group stage matches at the U23 Asian Championship. Despite losing to U23 China in the semi-finals, Vietnam's journey before that was still highly regarded.

The South Korean press has paid special attention to coach Kim Sang-sik.

In addition, Yonhap News Agency paid special attention to coach Kim Sang-sik, who will be facing his home country's team as the head coach of the Vietnam U23 team.

Yonhap reviews Kim's impressive track record with Vietnamese football since taking office in May 2024, including winning the AFF Cup, the U23 Southeast Asian Championship, and the SEA Games 33 gold medal. According to Yonhap , the tactical and mental impact that Coach Kim brought was a key factor in helping the U23 Vietnam team maintain consistency throughout the tournament.

Many major South Korean newspapers also viewed the third-place match as a place where honor and pressure converged.

Korea JoongAng Daily believes that the fact that the South Korean U23 team had to play a ranking match was beyond initial expectations, while the Vietnamese U23 team reached the top 4 through organized and disciplined play, not relying on luck.

According to News1 , the match against Vietnam is crucial for the South Korean U23 team to "salvage their honor" after failing to reach the final. The psychological pressure is therefore even greater, as this is no longer a formality but a test of their character after the defeat.

Through the lens of the South Korean media, the third-place match between Vietnam U23 and South Korea U23 at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship is not simply about rankings. It's a clash of honor, pressure, and expectations, where Vietnam U23 is seen as a truly formidable opponent, while South Korea U23 must win to end the tournament in the least damaging way.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/truyen-thong-han-quoc-thua-nhan-u23-viet-nam-la-mot-doi-thu-khong-the-xem-nhe-199711.html