Vietnam U23 draws 1-1 with North Korea: Minh Tam's impact and weaknesses in the defensive system.

The Vietnam U23 team kicked off the CFA Team China 2026 friendly tournament with a disappointing 1-1 draw against North Korea U23 on the afternoon of March 25th. Despite controlling the game for most of the first half, lapses in their transitions prevented coach Dinh Hong Vinh's team from maintaining their lead.

The explosive beginning and lasting impact of Nguyen Minh Tam

Immediately after the opening whistle, the Vietnam U23 team proactively pushed their formation forward, imposing a high-pressure style of play on the opponent's half. This proactive approach soon yielded results in the 8th minute. Nguyen Minh Tam, the most outstanding player in the attack, made a clever run down the right flank before decisively finishing to open the scoring.

According to an analysis from China News, Coach Dinh Hong Vinh's team entered the match with an extremely aggressive mindset. Maintaining a high intensity helped the Golden Star Warriors gain an advantage in ball control. However, against a deep and tightly organized defense of the North Korean U23 team, the young Vietnamese players, despite having more possession, struggled to find a way to score a second goal.

Defensive gaps and the problem of concentration.

In the second half, the match's dynamics began to shift as the North Korean U23 team made crucial tactical adjustments. They started to control space better and made the most of quick counter-attacks. In the 69th minute, taking advantage of a moment of confusion in the Vietnamese U23 defense during the transition from attack to defense, they scored the equalizer, making the score 1-1.

Notably, football experts in China pointed out that the Vietnamese U23 defense still showed instability at crucial moments. The confusion in individual defensive situations directly led to avoidable goals conceded. Although the midfield maintained stable ball distribution, the lack of communication between the defenders became a weakness that opponents exploited.

A chance to redeem themselves before the regional derby.

This draw puts all four participating teams – Vietnam, North Korea, Thailand, and host nation China – in a balanced position, with each team having 1 point after the first round of matches. The 1-1 result accurately reflects the reality on the field, as each side had distinct periods of dominance.

This is a valuable lesson for coach Dinh Hong Vinh and his players before facing more challenging trials. According to the schedule, the Vietnam U23 team will have two days to rest and prepare before facing their long-time rivals, Thailand U23, on March 28th. Improving the concentration of the defense will be the top priority if they want to achieve a favorable result in the upcoming Southeast Asian derby.