Vietnam U23 faces South Korea U23: A major challenge stemming from historical precedent.
Coach Kim Sang-sik and his players face a tough challenge in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup third-place match, as the head-to-head history overwhelmingly favors South Korea U23.
At 10:00 PM on January 23rd, the focus of continental football will be on the bronze medal match of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship between Vietnam U23 and South Korea U23. This is considered the ultimate challenge for Coach Kim Sang-sik's team in their efforts to achieve a positive outcome in this year's tournament.
Pre-match correlation
Both teams entered this match needing a victory to solidify their position after a disappointing semi-final performance. Vietnam U23 had been eliminated after a 0-3 defeat against China U23, while South Korea U23 also suffered a narrow 0-1 loss to their arch-rivals Japan U23.
Notably, this is the first time coach Kim Sang-sik has led the Vietnamese team against his home country's team in an official continental tournament. The pressure on the South Korean strategist is considerable as he must find a way to counter the playing style of one of the region's top contenders.
The voice of statistics
Despite their high level of determination, history is on the side of the South Korean team. Data fromTransfermarkIt is pointed out that in the last four official encounters, the Vietnam U23 team only managed one victory. However, this result dates back to the 1991 Olympic qualifiers, a period too long to serve as a professional benchmark for the present.
At the U23 Asian Championship, painful memories still linger. In 2018, the Vietnam U23 team suffered a 1-2 defeat against this opponent. The only bright spot that gave fans hope was the courageous 1-1 draw in the 2022 finals, a time when we demonstrated a significant narrowing in skill and competitive spirit against the big teams.
Recent form and tactical forecast
In 2025, the two football nations had some intense and realistic matches. After a 1-1 draw in March, the Vietnam U22 team narrowly lost 0-1 to South Korea U22 in the Panda Cup, with the only goal scored by Kim Myung-jun. This showed that their opponents consistently maintained stability and made excellent use of their physical advantages as well as their modern tactical thinking.
Facing a physically superior opponent, the Vietnam U23 team needs a particularly disciplined defensive system along with the ability to quickly transition between attacking and defensive phases. The versatility of the attacking players will be key for coach Kim Sang-sik's team to hope to create an upset and win the prestigious bronze medal.
