Saudi Arabia, 10 January 2026 – According to head coach Luigi Di Biagio, hosts U23 Saudi Arabia have been pushed into a do-or-die situation and must defeat U23 Vietnam in the final Group A match of the AFC U23 Asian Cup, scheduled to kick off at 23:30 on January 12.
Only a victory over U23 Vietnam will keep U23 Saudi Arabia’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive. However, this task looks extremely difficult given the hosts’ unconvincing performances and recurring defensive errors in their first two matches under Di Biagio.
According to the official AFC website Asian Football Confederation, U23 Saudi Arabia “made too many mistakes, especially in the 2–3 comeback defeat to U23 Jordan on January 10, which has left them in a very precarious position.” The AFC added that while beating U23 Vietnam is now the ultimate objective for Di Biagio’s side, “there is still a lot of work to do to keep their hopes alive.” In their opening match, the hosts struggled to edge U23 Kyrgyzstan 1–0 with a late goal, despite playing with a numerical advantage from the 34th minute.
Reflecting on the situation, Di Biagio admitted: “This is a disappointment. Losing to Jordan means we now enter the final group match against U23 Vietnam with only one condition: we must win to keep our hopes alive. U23 Vietnam have shown their strength by winning both opening matches and proving they are a very difficult opponent to beat. It will be an extremely tough game for us.”
The Italian coach also acknowledged his team’s shortcomings: “We prepared very well for this tournament, but the teams in our group are very strong. Against Jordan, even when we were leading 1–0, we could not control the match. We did not play well in the first half because we couldn’t find space or show our usual style of attractive football. In the second half, we returned to our familiar approach and played much better, and I believe we deserved a better result. This team has the potential to succeed, and I will try to correct our mistakes and improve in the next match.”
However, with limited time to address those issues—particularly in defence—Di Biagio’s task appears daunting. Notably, both teams that U23 Saudi Arabia have faced so far, Kyrgyzstan (1–0 loss) and Jordan (2–3 loss), were previously beaten by U23 Vietnam with scores of 2–1 and 2–0 respectively.
In the final Group A match, regardless of other permutations, Kim Sang-sik and his players only need to focus on themselves. A draw against U23 Saudi Arabia would be enough for U23 Vietnam to secure qualification as group winners, without needing to worry about the outcome of the other match.
Given their current form and confidence, U23 Vietnam can even afford to dream bigger—aiming to defeat the hosts and complete a perfect group stage with three wins from three matches at the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026.
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