Vietnam U23 vs. South Korea U23 (10 PM today): Overcoming disappointment

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Having to play against U23 South Korea in the third-place match is a difficult task for U23 Vietnam, as their opponent comes from one of Asia's leading football nations. However, surprises are always possible in football.

*The third-place match of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship between Vietnam U23 and South Korea U23 will take place at 10 PM on January 23rd, at the King Abdullah Stadium in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). Dan Tri will provide live coverage of this match.

Vietnam U23 entered the third-place match without two key central defenders: Nguyen Hieu Minh (injured) and Pham Ly Duc (suspended). This was a huge blow for the team under coach Kim Sang Sik.

Vietnam U23 is preparing for another tough match in this year's tournament (Photo: AFC).

The gap between the starting and reserve positions in the defense is very large. The other two central defenders for Vietnam U23 in this year's tournament (excluding Nguyen Nhat Minh) are Nguyen Duc Anh and Le Van Ha, who lack professional playing experience.

Furthermore, Duc Anh's physique (1.75m) is another disadvantage for him in defending against aerial balls against the very tall and strong South Korean U23 defense.

In the match against China U23 on January 20th, Duc Anh was brought on after the 30th minute, replacing Hieu Minh who was injured. However, he was quickly substituted off the field in the second half for failing to perform his defensive duties.

With the other central defenders being relatively small, the task of defending against aerial balls will fall on the shoulders of Le Van Ha (1.84m). Vietnamese football fans hope that Le Van Ha will perform effectively in the third-place match.

Vietnam U23 must pay attention to aerial balls (Photo: AFC).

Given the rather fragile defense, defensive support duties will be shared among the central midfielders. It's likely that coach Kim Sang Sik will use three central midfielders simultaneously – Thai Son, Xuan Bac, and Cong Phuong – to increase the team's ability to win tackles and defend from afar.

Among them, Cong Phuong (1m78), with his good physique, will support the central defenders in situations involving aerial balls.

Another possibility is that Dinh Bac could be fielded from the start, unlike his performances in the last three consecutive matches against U23 Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. Dinh Bac's presence could help U23 Vietnam control the ball better in attack, thereby reducing pressure on the defense.

If the U23 Vietnam forwards retain possession better, the opponents will not dare to push their formation too high, constantly putting pressure on our half of the field.

This will be a very difficult match against a representative of one of Asia's leading football nations. Hopefully, the Vietnamese U23 players will recover well mentally and will have a sound strategy to hold off the South Korean U23 team for as long as possible, waiting for opportunities arising from their mistakes towards the end of each half.

Prediction: 1-1 draw in regular time, Vietnam U23 win in extra time.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/u23-viet-nam-u23-han-quoc-22h-hom-nay-vuot-qua-noi-buon-20260122230347567.htm