Defeating Yemen, U23 Vietnam entered the 2026 AFC U23 Championship Finals

U23 Vietnam and U23 Yemen both have 6 points after 2 matches in Group C, but U23 Vietnam is on top due to a better goal difference (+3 compared to +2).

With a better goal difference, U23 Vietnam only needs a draw to enter the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.

Playing the decisive match with U23 Yemen, coach Kim Sang-sik made some notable adjustments.

In attack, Dinh Bac and Le Victok were on the bench, replaced by Quoc Viet and Ngoc My. In midfield, Van Truong was on the bench, while central defender Pham Ly Duc returned to the starting lineup.

Although only needing 1 point to advance, U23 Vietnam still showed their determination to win by attacking right after the opening whistle, creating great pressure on their opponents.

Meanwhile, U23 Yemen entered the match with a defensive mentality, they played with a rather low formation, giving the game to the home team.

U23 Vietnam held the ball and attacked a lot but had difficulty getting close to the opponent's goal.

Defeating Yemen, U23 Vietnam entered the 2026 AFC U23 Championship Finals - photo 2 — The red shirt players created a better game

In a difficult match, in the 37th minute, coach Kim Sang-sik made a surprising decision when he replaced all 3 attacking players, Van Khang, Quoc Viet, Ngoc My, with Thanh Nhan, Van Thuan and Dinh Bac.

This change helped the home team play more clearly but only created a few not really dangerous opportunities in the remaining time of the first half.

The second half saw a balanced game between the two teams. U23 Yemen gradually regained control of the game while U23 Vietnam could not create the same initiative as the first half.

In a tight match, U23 Vietnam unexpectedly scored the opening goal.

In the 70th minute, Thanh Nhan passed the ball to Van Thuan to tear apart the Yemen U23 defense before unleashing a decisive shot into the near corner, defeating the opposing goalkeeper.