2026 AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers: Vietnam beat Bangladesh on opening day

The Vietnam U23 team won 2-0 against Bangladesh U23 in the opening match of the U23 Asia qualifiers, at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho) on the evening of September 3.

Ngoc My opened the score for U23 Vietnam. Photo: VFF

The Vietnam U23 team had an impressive opening match in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers when they defeated Bangladesh U23 2-0, temporarily taking the lead in Group C.

Right from the first minutes, coach Kim Sang Sik's team completely dominated the game. The fast-paced, continuous pressing style of play helped U23 Vietnam quickly create many opportunities. In the 10th minute, Phi Hoang fired a beautiful long-range shot that hit the opponent's goal post. Just a few minutes later, Dinh Bac, the most active player on U23 Vietnam's side, had a smart escape down the left wing before passing the ball for Ngoc My to run in and finish accurately, opening the score 1-0.

Throughout the first half, U23 Vietnam continuously applied pressure. Xuan Bac, Anh Quan, Thanh Nhan all had opportunities to increase the gap but lacked a bit of accuracy. On the other hand, Bangladesh only created a notable move in the 40th minute when Al Amin broke through to shoot diagonally, but goalkeeper Trung Kien rushed out to save the goal in time.

Viktor Le scored his first goal in an official tournament with U23 Vietnam. Photo: VFF

In the second half, U23 Vietnam still maintained the initiative. Xuan Bac volleyed, forcing the opposing goalkeeper to show his talent. With the match somewhat deadlocked, coach Kim Sang Sik decided to change the personnel by sending Viktor Le, Van Khang and Quoc Viet onto the field.

The adjustment immediately paid off. Viktor Le played with energy, constantly causing Bangladesh's defense to falter. He had a shot hit the crossbar, a header was blocked before he finally made his mark in the 82nd minute with a precise positioning, a close-range header to seal a 2-0 victory for U23 Vietnam.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/vong-loai-u23-chau-a-2026-viet-nam-thang-bangladesh-ngay-ra-quan-715044.html