Vietnam U23 endured a remarkable night of frustration as they hit the woodwork five times from 27 attempts before being held to a 1-1 draw by Kuwait U23 in their opening match of the ASIAD 2026 men’s football tournament.
Dinh Hong Vinh’s side were left wondering how they failed to secure all three points from their Group C opener after dominating much of the contest and enjoying 63 percent of possession.
Vietnam registered an impressive 27 attempts on goal but managed to score only once. Their misfortune was underlined by the fact that they struck the crossbar three times and the posts twice during the match.
The woodwork was not the only source of frustration for Vietnam.
In the second half, the players briefly thought they had been awarded a penalty following a Kuwait foul. However, after the incident was reviewed, the referee determined that the offence had taken place just outside the penalty area, leaving Vietnam without the spot kick they had hoped for.
Despite creating the majority of the chances, Vietnam were punished for their lack of finishing in the 78th minute.
Kuwait took advantage of a set-piece situation, with Omar Al Matar rising to head the ball into the net and give his side a 1-0 lead against the run of play.
Vietnam responded almost immediately.
Just three minutes later, striker Nguyen Ngoc My found the equalizer to bring Dinh Hong Vinh’s side level and set up a tense finish.
Vietnam continued to push for the winning goal and came agonizingly close in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Le Van Thuan unleashed an effort that beat the goalkeeper but crashed against the crossbar.
Had the late attempt gone in, Vietnam would have completed a dramatic 2-1 comeback and claimed all three points from their opening ASIAD 2026 fixture.
Instead, they were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw despite their overwhelming attacking numbers and five efforts against the woodwork.
The result leaves the battle for qualification from Group C finely poised. While Vietnam and Kuwait shared the points, Uzbekistan U23 made an emphatic start to their campaign with a 5-1 victory over the Philippines U23.
Vietnam U23 will next face the Philippines on September 18 before taking on Uzbekistan in their final Group C match on September 22.
VSN/RPT
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