Viet Tri, 3 September 2026 – Vietnam U20 suffered a damaging 2-1 defeat to Palestine U20 in their second Group C match of the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers on the evening of September 3, leaving their hopes of reaching the finals hanging by a thread.
After losing 3-0 to North Korea in their opening fixture, Vietnam entered the match knowing that victory was crucial to revive their qualification campaign.
Head coach Yutaka Ikeuchi made significant changes to his starting lineup, handing starts to six players who had been on the bench in the previous match.
The hosts enjoyed plenty of possession and attempted to dictate the tempo, but struggled to translate their control of the ball into meaningful opportunities against a disciplined Palestinian defence.
Vietnam also appeared uncomfortable in several key situations, losing possession too easily and lacking composure in the final third.
Palestine, by contrast, remained compact and disciplined while posing a constant threat on the counterattack. After several promising breaks, the visitors punished Vietnam in the 34th minute.
Despite having several defenders inside the penalty area, Vietnam failed to clear the danger. The ball eventually fell to Palestine captain Tayem, who calmly moved past a defender before producing a decisive finish to open the scoring.
Palestine took their 1-0 advantage into halftime, leaving Vietnam facing another difficult situation in their qualification campaign.
Vietnam Fight Back Before Late Palestinian Winner
The pattern remained largely unchanged after the interval.
Vietnam pushed higher up the pitch and increased the pressure on the Palestinian defence, creating several opportunities as they searched for an equaliser. However, Ikeuchi’s players continued to lack precision with their decisive passes and finishes.
Their persistence was finally rewarded in the 66th minute.
A cross from the right found Nguyen Quoc Khanh, who rose above the defence and directed a header against the crossbar. The rebound struck the Palestine goalkeeper before crossing the line, bringing Vietnam level at 1-1.
The goal lifted both the players and the home crowd as Vietnam looked to complete the comeback.
Instead, Palestine delivered the decisive blow.
In the 84th minute, M. Hamade accelerated onto a through ball behind the Vietnamese defence before producing a delicate lob over the goalkeeper to restore Palestine’s lead at 2-1.
With their qualification hopes slipping away, Vietnam committed players forward during the closing stages in a desperate search for another equaliser.
The hosts’ frustration was compounded in the final moments. Goalkeeper Dinh Bach, who had gone forward to join the attack, was forced to race back to stop a Palestinian counterattack and was shown a red card for his intervention.
The final whistle confirmed a 2-1 defeat, Vietnam’s second consecutive loss in Group C following their 3-0 setback against North Korea.
With two defeats from their opening two matches, Vietnam U20 now find themselves in an extremely difficult position in the race to qualify for the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2027 finals.
VSN/RPT
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