Captain Khuất Văn Khang scoring the penalty against Kyrgyzstan in the match on Friday. Despite winning two games and leading Group A, Việt Nam’s task is far from over. — Photo courtesy of the AFC

Anh Đức

Việt Nam's U23s won their first two games in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup, convincingly beating both Jordan and Kyrgyzstan to place first in their group.

Now normally these two results in a four-team group would ensure qualification. But in the format of AFC tournaments, where head-to-head results between teams are considered the tiebreaker, Kim Sang-sik’s men could even face elimination despite having a great start.

For that dire possibility to happen, Việt Nam would have to lose to Saudi Arabia by either three unanswered goals, or with a deficit of four goals or more. Another condition is that Jordan, who lost 0-2 to the Golden Star Warriors in the opening match, must win against bottom-ranked Kyrgyzstan.

But to say that this possibility to be far-fetched is an understatement. A handful of players in this U23 squad have experienced this at the 2023 AFC U20 Asian Cup, where Việt Nam won against both Australia and Qatar in what was perceived as the tournament’s ‘group of death’.

But then even with six points, the team failed to make it through the group stage, as they lost 1-3 to Iran in the penultimate game. Iran advances due to winning the head-to-head against Việt Nam, while Australia, despite losing against Việt Nam, had a greater goal difference, and advanced as runners-up.

VFF President Trần Quốc Tuấn reiterated that message to media after Kim’s men found a last-gasp victory against Kyrgyzstan last Friday. Despite having the lead and a dominating second half, Việt Nam let their opponent equalised and had to wait until the 87th minute to find the winning goal.

Việt Nam and ‘only a draw is needed’ matches are like oil and water. Supporters can recall multiple times when Việt Nam was eliminated, or near elimination in these high-stakes matches where they had the upper hand coming. The most infamous one being the 2-4 loss to Malaysia at home in Mỹ Đình after winning the away leg 2-1.

And it is not like Kim Sang-sik’s men are flawless in defence. A stray square pass from Nguyễn Hiểu Minh in the match against Kyrgyzstan led to the equaliser. Two quick strikes from Thailand in the SEA Games final’s opening minutes could have led to a disastrous night in Bangkok where the gold medal stays with the host. If Việt Nam’s defenders keep on making the same novice mistakes, any opponent in this tournament can capitalise from them.

But Vietnamese fans can breathe a sigh of relief, having saw the performance of Saudi Arabia in the first two matches: winning against ten-men Kyrgyzstan with a last-minute goal and losing 2-3 to Jordan despite taking an early lead. This Saudi Arabia side is far from the talents that beat world champions Argentina at the 2022 World Cup. Luigi Di Blagio’s men lacked the composure in finishing and communication in defence, which led to the hosts being so surprisingly vulnerable.

But Saudi Arabia also need at least a draw to qualify, and in their stance as the hosts and one of the tournament favourites, a draw is not enough to send a message of dominance. What is needed now for Việt Nam is to forget the past victories of the last two months, refocus and fight in every match like it’s the last – a mentality that led to the unbelievable comebacks in Kim Sang-sik era. — VNS