Nagoya, 18 Sep 2026 – Vietnam U23 secured a crucial 2-0 victory over the Philippines U23 in their second Group C match of the ASIAD 2026 men’s football tournament, temporarily moving to the top of the standings with four points and taking a significant step towards the quarter-finals.
Vietnam entered the September 18 encounter under pressure to collect all three points after being held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Kuwait in their opening fixture.
With Uzbekistan having already demonstrated their strength by recording a convincing victory over the Philippines, head coach Dinh Hong Vinh’s side knew they could ill afford another disappointing result.
At CS Asset Minato Stadium in Nagoya, Vietnam immediately pushed forward and attempted to take control of the match.
Playing in white, Dinh Hong Vinh’s players dominated possession and repeatedly looked to attack through both flanks. However, the Philippines remained disciplined defensively and prevented Vietnam from creating many clear-cut opportunities.
The lack of penetration meant the two sides went into half-time locked at 0-0.
Vietnam increased the pressure after the break, with Dinh Hong Vinh making a series of personnel and tactical adjustments in search of the breakthrough.
In the 53rd minute, Nguyen Thanh Nhan received the ball around 25 metres from goal, shifted it onto his left foot and fired towards the near post, only to see his effort narrowly miss the target.
Nguyen Xuan Bac then had an even better opportunity shortly afterwards but was denied by Philippines goalkeeper Guimaraes in a one-on-one situation.
Vietnam’s persistence finally paid off in the 74th minute.
Nguyen Duc Anh launched a long pass behind the Philippines defense, allowing Thanh Nhan to race clear. Spotting Guimaraes well off his line, the Vietnamese forward produced a clever first-time finish that sailed over the goalkeeper and into the net.
The goal brought relief to Vietnam after more than an hour of struggling to break down the opposition defense.
With the lead secured, Dinh Hong Vinh’s side continued to control proceedings, although they survived a major scare in the 85th minute when the Philippines’ Rublico failed to convert an opportunity in front of an almost empty goal.
Vietnam punished that miss just two minutes later.
Xuan Bac drove forward past two Philippines players before finding Nguyen Ngoc My. The striker then moved the ball on to Nguyen Le Phat, whose initial shot remarkably struck both the post and crossbar before rebounding back into play.
The 19-year-old reacted quickest, throwing himself towards the loose ball and heading into the empty net to double Vietnam’s advantage.
The second goal effectively ended the Philippines’ hopes of a comeback and sealed a valuable 2-0 victory for Vietnam.
The result moved Vietnam U23 onto four points from two matches, temporarily placing them at the top of Group C ahead of the later second-round fixture between Uzbekistan and Kuwait.
Vietnam will conclude their group-stage campaign against Uzbekistan on September 22, with Dinh Hong Vinh’s side battling for one of the group’s two places in the ASIAD 2026 quarter-finals.
VSN/RPT
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