U23 Vietnam defeated U23 Yemen, officially won a ticket to the U23 Asian final round
U23 Vietnam won against U23 Yemen, and officially won a ticket to the 2026 AFC U23 finals in Saudi Arabia.
On the evening of September 9 at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho), U23 Vietnam faced U23 Yemen in a match considered the "final" of Group C of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers. After two matches, both teams have 6 points, but coach Kim Sang-sik's team is temporarily leading thanks to goal difference. This is a crucial match because only the group leader is sure to qualify for the final round in Saudi Arabia, while the runner-up must compete with 10 other groups.
In this match, a draw is enough for U23 Vietnam to qualify for the next round. However, with home field advantage and a superior force, the “Golden Star Warriors” aim for victory to affirm their position and show gratitude to their fans.
Right from the first minutes, U23 Vietnam took the initiative to control the game while U23 Yemen retreated deep to defend. The red team held the ball a lot but encountered the opponent's tight defense. In the 21st minute, Quoc Viet broke into the penalty area and fell after a collision, but the Indonesian referee did not award a penalty.
Faced with the deadlock in attack, coach Kim Sang-sik quickly adjusted by sending Thanh Nhan, Van Thuan and Dinh Bac in place of Van Khang, Quoc Viet and Ngoc My in the 40th minute to refresh the playing style. In the 45+3rd minute, from a corner kick by U23 Yemen, goalkeeper Trung Kien made an excellent save after the opponent's close-range shot. The first half ended without any goals scored.
In the second half, U23 Vietnam continued to dominate the game but also had to face counterattacks from U23 Yemen. In the 58th minute, Thanh Nhan received a yellow card for a blatant shirt pulling and immediately after that Mahross had a dangerous opportunity from a free kick, but his shot went over the crossbar of Trung Kien's goal.
The turning point came in the 70th minute when Thanh Nhan coordinated well with Van Thuan before accelerating fiercely and unleashing a shot that beat the opposing goalkeeper, bringing the opening goal for U23 Vietnam.
After conceding a goal, U23 Yemen pushed their formation up high to find an equalizer, but the final efforts of the players in white shirts could not penetrate the home team's solid defense.
The match ended with a minimal 1-0 victory for U23 Vietnam, thanks to Thanh Nhan's only goal in the 70th minute. This result helped coach Kim Sang-sik and his team win all 3 matches, earning 9 absolute points to take the top spot in Group C and officially participate in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, U23 Yemen finished the group stage with 6 points and must wait for results compared to other second-place teams to hope to get a ticket to the final round.