U23 Vietnam defeated U23 Yemen, officially winning a ticket to the U23 Asian finals

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 top team is sure to qualify for the final round in Saudi Arabia, while the second team has to 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 superior strength, the “Golden Star Warriors” aim for victory to affirm their position and show their gratitude to the 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 had a lot of possession 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 made adjustments by bringing in Thanh Nhan, Van Thuan and Dinh Bac to replace 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 being 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 strongly and firing a shot that beat the opposing goalkeeper, bringing the opening goal for U23 Vietnam.

After conceding a goal, U23 Yemen pushed up the field to find an equalizer, but the final efforts of the white-shirted players 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 qualify for 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.