Saudi Arabia, 20 January 2026 – The serious knee injury to Nguyen Hieu Minh forced U23 Vietnam to reshuffle their defence early, a setback that left them struggling under sustained pressure from U23 China and unable to hold their shape in the second half.
As in previous matches, Nguyen Dinh Bac began on the bench under head coach Kim Sang Sik. U23 Vietnam started proactively, competing aggressively in midfield and producing a few promising attacking moments. One notable chance came in the 24th minute when captain Khuat Van Khang broke down the left flank, but the move could not be converted into a goal.
In the 33rd minute, centre-back Nguyen Hieu Minh suffered a serious injury and had to be stretchered off. Initial reports indicated that he was taken to hospital for medical checks. The gap left by Hieu Minh proved decisive, as U23 Vietnam’s defensive structure gradually unraveled thereafter.
After an evenly balanced opening phase, U23 China began to take control. The team in red dominated possession and pushed higher up the pitch, forcing U23 Vietnam to drop deep and rely on counter-attacks.
Despite being under pressure, U23 Vietnam still created a few threats in the first half from set pieces and long-range efforts, but the Chinese goalkeeper remained composed to keep a clean sheet. The teams went into the break level at 0-0.
At the start of the second half, Kim Sang Sik introduced Nguyen Dinh Bac in place of Cong Phuong in search of a breakthrough. However, U23 China raised the tempo and quickly turned their dominance into goals. In the 47th minute, from a left-sided corner, Peng Xiao timed his run perfectly to head home from close range and open the scoring.
The goal made life even harder for U23 Vietnam. Five minutes later, Xiang Yuwang showed excellent technique just outside the box before firing a precise diagonal shot into the net to double China’s lead at 2-0.
U23 Vietnam attempted to adjust personnel and push forward in the remaining minutes, but they were repeatedly frustrated by China’s well-organised defence. In the 73rd minute, Peng Xiao appeared to score again from a right-sided free kick, with the ball deflecting off his shoulder into the net. After a VAR review, however, the goal was ruled out for offside. Notably, in the aftermath of that incident, referee Alexander George King showed a straight red card to Ly Duc for losing his composure, even though the goal was later disallowed.
Deep into stoppage time (90+7), U23 China sealed the match with a third goal, completing a 3-0 victory.
Reduced to ten men and visibly deflated after conceding multiple goals, U23 Vietnam were unable to find a consolation strike to lift spirits in support of the injured Hieu Minh. The 0-3 defeat sends U23 Vietnam into the third-place playoff against U23 South Korea, while U23 Japan and U23 China will contest the final.
VSN collaborator writer
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