U.23 Vietnam vs Yemen: Coach Kim Sang-sik launches 'shocking' lineup, Dinh Bac and Van Truong on the bench

U.23 Vietnam entered the field with a surprising force

Coach Kim Sang-sik has finalized the starting lineup of U.23 Vietnam in the match against U.23 Yemen, within the framework of the final match of Group C of the 2026 AFC U.23 Championship qualifiers taking place at 7:00 p.m. today, September 9.

Guarding the goal is goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, a reliable face of coach Kim Sang-sik. Trung Kien has started all 6 previous matches of U.23 Vietnam in the Southeast Asian tournament and the Asian qualifiers. He has only conceded 2 goals, with a stable performance. In the match against U.23 Yemen tonight, Trung Kien continues to be the chosen stopper.

U.23 Việt Nam đấu Yemen: HLV Kim Sang-sik tung đội hình 'sốc', Đình Bắc và Văn Trường dự bị- Ảnh 1. — List of main players of U.23 Vietnam

The defensive trio are Nguyen Hieu Minh, Nguyen Nhat Minh and Pham Ly Duc. Instead of experimenting with the defensive formation in the match against U.23 Singapore, coach Kim Sang-sik used his best players. On the flank, Nguyen Phi Hoang (left) and Pham Minh Phuc (right) were named.

In the midfield, Nguyen Xuan Bac and Nguyen Thai Son are named. Meanwhile, in the attack, the 3 strikers of U.23 Vietnam are Nguyen Quoc Viet, Nguyen Ngoc My and Khuat Van Khang.

Ngoc My's appearance was surprising, because in the past matches, Thanh Hoa 's striker had only started once. It was in that match (against U.23 Bangladesh), Ngoc My scored the opening goal.

U.23 Vietnam 'overcame' Yemen to win ticket to AFC U.23 Championship: Attacking line needs improvement

Thus, coach Kim Sang-sik made a breakthrough with the starting lineup, when experienced players like Nguyen Van Truong and Nguyen Dinh Bac were both on the bench, making room for Thai Son and Ngoc My.

Mr. Kim also made a bold decision when giving the captain's armband to center back Hieu Minh, instead of Van Khang as usual. This is a challenge for Hieu Minh, in the match U.23 Vietnam needs to keep a clean sheet.

U.23 Vietnam needs at least 1 point to qualify for the 2026 AFC U.23 Championship. However, coach Kim Sang-sik's team will aim for victory. In case of losing to U.23 Yemen, U.23 Vietnam will almost certainly stop because they do not have a good enough goal difference to compare with the other second-placed teams.