Saudi Arabia, 23 January 2026 – The bronze medal is the target U23 Vietnam are striving for in the third-place match of the 2026 Southeast Asian U23 Championship against U23 Korea. However, another goal that fans care about even more is how coach Kim Sang-sik and his players face and overcome the sadness after the semi-final defeat.
Khuat Van Khang and his teammates stepped onto the training ground for the final session with more smiles than the day before, and the tension on their faces had eased somewhat. There are still regrets after the semi-final loss, along with the lingering impact of teammate Nguyen Hieu Minh’s injury, but the players under coach Kim Sang-sik understand that they must continue the journey, look forward with optimism, and keep alive the belief and burning ambition of youth.
U23 Vietnam will go into the match not only to play on behalf of Hieu Minh, but also with the determination to win a medal as a way of thanking the fans who have followed and supported the team throughout 2025, especially over the past two days. This is also the final match for players such as Van Khang, Nguyen Dinh Bac, Nguyen Quoc Viet, Nguyen Thai Son, Nguyen Thanh Nhan, and others in the U23 shirt, so everyone is eager to secure a victory for a meaningful farewell.
Seeing coach Kim Sang-sik’s players regain their joy and smiles has brought hope to fans. In the context where U23 Vietnam will be without the services of centre-backs Hieu Minh and Pham Ly Duc (suspended) for the third-place match, fighting spirit will be extremely important to compensate for the shortage in personnel. Therefore, the clash with U23 Korea is seen as a test of how U23 Vietnam respond after a defeat.
With limited options, it would not be surprising if U23 Vietnam adopt a defensive counter-attacking approach. The key question is who will replace Hieu Minh and Ly Duc to form a three-man centre-back line with Nguyen Nhat Minh, or whether coach Kim Sang-sik will switch to a system with two centre-backs and add an extra defensive midfielder.
Centre-back Nguyen Duc Anh could be chosen to start. More than 60 minutes of action against U23 China have given the Da Nang player valuable lessons, helping him understand what to do to improve defensive safety. There is also the possibility that Thai Son will be moved from midfield to centre-back, as he previously filled the gap left by Ly Duc in the match against U23 China.
In attack, fans hope coach Kim Sang-sik will be bolder in his selection, which could create surprises for the opponent. For example, Thanh Nhan could be given his first start, or Quoc Viet could be used more. No matter where they are deployed, the Vietnamese players are expected to give everything they have.
Like U23 Vietnam, their Korean counterparts are also targeting the bronze medal as a farewell gift to the tournament. If defence is currently considered a weakness for U23 Vietnam, the team from the Land of Kimchi are strong in attack. U23 Korea have six different goalscorers in the tournament, second only to U23 Japan, showing the attacking variety of coach Lee Min-sung’s side.
Even so, their poor record in third-place matches has worried Korean fans. This is the third time they have appeared in an Asian U23 third-place match, having previously lost to U23 Jordan on penalties in 2013 and to Qatar in 2018.
In terms of squad strength, U23 Korea are still rated slightly higher than U23 Vietnam. However, coach Kim Sang-sik and his players are no strangers to overcoming adversity. Fans surely still remember the SEA Games 33 final, when the team produced an emotional comeback to defeat hosts U22 Thailand after falling two goals behind.
It may be unfair to directly compare that context with the present, but those beautiful memories continue to nurture the belief among supporters that Van Khang and his teammates can rediscover their confident and inspired performances, just as they have shown throughout the past year.
Anh Minh
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