In a highly dramatic 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup quarterfinal match in the very early morning of January 17, the Vietnam U23 national team defeated their opponents from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the first time. In the photo: Minh Phuc (21) raises the score at 3-2 for Vietnam. Photo: VNA
U23 Vietnam played solidly, and created a few notable moments from set pieces in the first half.
The first half ended goalless.
China U23 raised the tempo after the restart and took the lead early in the second half. In the 47th minute, Peng Xiao headed home from a corner to open the scoring. Minutes later, Xiang Yuwang capitalised on a marking error to make it 2-0.
Vietnam’s situation worsened in the 75th minute when Ly Duc was shown a straight red card, leaving his team a man down.
Despite late efforts to respond, Vietnam U23 were unable to score. In 90+8 minutes, Wang Yudong finished from close range to seal a 3-0 victory for China U23.
With the result, U23 Vietnam will face U23 RoK in the third-place play-off at 10:00 pm on January 23.
The final of the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 will be a showdown between U23 Japan and U23 China U23, set to take place at 10:00 pm on January 24./.