U23 Việt Nam celebrate beating U23 Yemen at the AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers this evening. — Photos vietnamnet.vn

By Thanh Nga

PHÚ THỌ — U23 Việt Nam edged out U23 Yemen 1-0 in the final match of the AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers held at Việt Trì Stadium in Phú Thọ Province on Tuesday evening.

With this victory, Vietnam finished at the top of Group C with nine points, officially securing a place in the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 Finals, scheduled for January 2026.

Yemen opted for a defensive strategy to earn at least one point, focusing all their efforts on defence, which made it challenging for the home team to approach the goal. However, coach Kim Sang-sik's tactical adjustments dismantled the opponent's plan. In the 70th minute, substitutes Văn Thuận and Thanh Nhàn combined effectively to score the only goal in this pivotal match for Group C.

Nhàn's decisive diagonal shot concluded the Asian qualification round with Việt Nam achieving a perfect record of wins and no goals conceded. This top position in the group also marks the sixth consecutive appearance of Vietnamese youth football in the Asian finals.

After the opening whistle, Việt Nam surged forward and recorded their first shot on goal in the 12th minute. Khuất Văn Khang dribbled from outside the penalty area, but his shot lacked the precision to beat the Yemeni goalkeeper.

Vietnamese players offer words of encouragement to a Yemeni player.

In the 20th minute, controversy arose when the referee did not award a penalty to Việt Nam after Nguyễn Quốc Việt was pushed down by a defender in the penalty area. The West Asian representatives maintained a defensive stance and failed to create any scoring opportunities in the early stages of the match.

Following a period of ineffective performance, coach Kim made a bold decision by introducing three substitutions. Đình Bắc, Thanh Nhàn, and Văn Thuận entered the field in the 40th minute, forming a new attacking trident for the Vietnamese team.

The first half ended without any goals. Yemen focused on defence, waiting for set pieces or mistakes from Việt Nam to launch counterattacks. In the dying seconds of first-half stoppage time, the visitors nearly scored from a corner kick, but goalkeeper Trần Trung Kiên made a crucial save to keep the match scoreless.

As the second half began, Việt Nam continued to dominate possession, yet they struggled to find an effective attacking plan.

In the 69th minute, Hiểu Minh drew gasps from fans at Việt Trì Stadium with a failed tackle, but luck favoured Việt Nam as the ball drifted past the Yemen striker’s movement.

Immediately following this escape, Việt Nam responded with a well-coordinated attack from their substitutes. In the 70th minute, Văn Thuận passed to Thanh Nhàn, who penetrated the penalty area and decisively shot into the far corner of the Yemeni goal.

U23 Vietnam players express gratitude to the home crowd after their victory.

In the final moments of the match, Yemen's attempts to attack were in vain. They handled the ball clumsily and resorted to fouling to prevent the home team from counterattacking.

With this victory, Việt Nam became the first Southeast Asian representative to secure a ticket to the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 finals in Saudi Arabia next year. VNS