Viktor Lê declared that the Vietnam U23 team would beat the UAE U23 team within 90 minutes.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Vietnamese-born midfielder Viktor Le said that the Vietnam U23 team does not want the quarter-final match against the UAE U23 team to go to extra time and penalties, but will settle the match within the 90 minutes of regular time.

AFC U23 Asian Championship 2026 schedule

Quarter-finals

6:30 PM on January 16th: Japan U23 vs. Jordan U23

10:30 PM on January 16th: Vietnam U23 vs. UAE U23

6:30 PM on January 17th: Uzbekistan U23 vs. China U23

10:30 PM on January 17th: U23 Australia vs. U23 South Korea

Semi-finals

6:30 PM on January 20th: Japan U23/Jordan U23 vs. Australia U23/South Korea U23

10:30 PM on January 20th: Vietnam U23/UAE U23 vs. Uzbekistan U23/China U23

Third-place match (10 PM, January 23rd): The two teams that lost in the semi-finals.

Final: (10 PM on January 24th): The two winning teams from the semi-finals

Having secured a place in the quarter-finals as group A winners (with a perfect 9 points), Vietnam U23 will face the runner-up of Group B, UAE U23. Before the match, midfielder Viktor Le affirmed that Vietnam U23 had prepared thoroughly and would strive for a performance and result as good as in their victory against Saudi Arabia U23.

“Every team participating in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship is very strong, and the only way for us to be ready to face them is through hard training. Vietnam U23 has two more days of training before the quarter-final match against UAE U23. We are all trying our best to be as well-prepared as possible.”

Midfielder Vikor Lê is confident about the strength of the Vietnam U23 team (Photo: Khoa Nguyễn).

"I hope the Vietnam U23 team will replicate the performance from their victory against Saudi Arabia U23, and then achieve the desired result to reach the semi-finals," Viktor Le said.

Assessing their quarter-final opponent, the Ha Tinh FC midfielder said: “It’s difficult to accurately assess the UAE U23 team. I only know that they came here with their best squad, with a consistent level of skill, and judging from their performances, this West Asian team is good both in attack and defense.”

"Compared to the other teams, the Vietnam U23 team confidently possesses a better spirit and a stronger desire to win. We also demonstrate that we are a cohesive and resilient team."

Regarding himself, Viktor Lê hopes to be given a chance by coach Kim Sang Sik, saying: “Personally, I only played 45 minutes in the match against U23 Saudi Arabia. I feel I performed well, fulfilling all the requirements of the coaching staff, as well as the instructions of coach Kim Sang Sik. I hope to continue to earn the trust of the coach and the support of my teammates.”

Vietnam U23 team is in high spirits after their victory against Saudi Arabia U23 (Photo: AFC).

Regarding the possibility of the quarter-final match going to extra time or a penalty shootout, Viktor confidently stated that the Vietnam U23 team will do everything to defeat their opponent within the 90 minutes of regular time.

"We are determined to settle the match within 90 minutes, winning without needing a penalty shootout," Viktor Le confidently stated.

On the afternoon of January 14th, the Vietnam U23 team continued their training session in preparation for the quarter-final match against the UAE U23 team. Coach Kim Sang Sik demanded high concentration from the entire team, and also devised various training plans to counter the UAE U23 team's long-ball style of play, as well as to capitalize on their own strengths.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/viktor-le-tuyen-bo-u23-viet-nam-se-thang-u23-uae-trong-90-phut-20260114215114774.htm