Vietnam U23 and the task of defeating China U23: A challenge from their nemesis Li Hao.
Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team need to settle the U23 Asian Cup semi-final within 90 minutes to avoid facing goalkeeper Li Hao, the penalty-saving specialist of the Chinese U23 team.
Vietnam U23 entered the historic semi-final match at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship with the ultimate goal: to win against China U23 in regular time. Extending the match to a penalty shootout was considered a high-risk scenario by experts, given that their opponents possessed Li Hao – the goalkeeper dubbed the "Manuel Neuer of China" and a true penalty-saving specialist.
Li Hao: The impenetrable barrier of the Chinese U23 team.
Li Hao is currently the brightest star in Chinese youth football, displaying incredibly consistent form. In this year's tournament, the goalkeeper has yet to concede a single goal, setting an impressive record and helping his team reach the semi-finals for the first time. His exceptional reflexes and unwavering mentality make Li Hao a formidable opponent for any striker in the region.
This goalkeeper's talent was confirmed at the 2023 AFC U20 Championship. At that time, Li Hao consistently shone with incredible saves. Most notably, his performance against Japan U20, where he successfully saved a penalty, was outstanding. In the match against Saudi Arabia U20, Li Hao made six saves and earned the Man of the Match award. Even against a strong opponent like South Korea, he maintained high levels of concentration to protect the goal.
The instinct to save penalties has been honed since childhood.
What the Vietnam U23 coaching staff needs to pay special attention to is that Li Hao's penalty-saving skills don't come from luck. According to Lin Jiemin, Li Hao's former coach, the goalkeeper has been known as a penalty-saving expert since elementary school thanks to his quick reflexes and incredible mental fortitude.
Li Hao's playing history is marked by significant achievements in national youth tournaments. In the semi-final match between Guangzhou and Dalian in Chongqing, Li Hao saved two penalties, directly leading his team to the final and subsequent championship. At the Guangzhou City Sports School Championship, he repeated this feat by successfully saving two penalties in a tense penalty shootout between Liwan District and Yuexiu District.
Coach Kim Sang-sik's tactic: Finish early.
Aware of the challenge posed by the opposing goalkeeper, coach Kim Sang-sik expressed great respect in the pre-match press conference. The South Korean strategist acknowledged that the Chinese U23 team is strong and that the presence of Li Hao in goal is the biggest challenge his players must overcome.
Li Hao's perfect clean sheet record in the tournament shows that the Vietnam U23 team needs a more diverse and incisive attacking strategy. Instead of waiting for mistakes or dragging the game into extra time, strikers like Vi Hao or Van Khang need to make the most of even the smallest opportunities to score within 90 minutes.
Pushing the match into a penalty shootout against a goalkeeper with a long history of saving penalties like Li Hao would be a risky gamble. The psychological advantage would undoubtedly be on the side of the Chinese U23 team if the two teams were to face a penalty shootout. Therefore, the challenge for coach Kim Sang-sik is to find a weakness in the opponent's defense and finish the match as cleanly as possible.
