Ngọc Mỹ's equaliser in the 80th minute. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Tuyến

Anh Đức

NAGOYA — The Việt Nam U23 football team have drawn 1-1 against Kuwait's U23s in the first match of the 2026 Asian Games men's football event in Nagoya, Japan.

In a match where the team struck the woodwork four times, Nguyễn Ngọc Mỹ was the star who came to rescue, as Omar Almatar had scored for Kuwait late in the game.

Consisting of players who shone brightly in the 2025 SEA Games and the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, the team is led by Kim Sang-sik's assistant, Đinh Hồng Vinh. The only difference between the squad attending the Asian Games and the AFC U23 bronze medal-winners is the absence of striker Nguyễn Đình Bắc, who has moved through the ranks to the senior team after a stellar performance.

Việt Nam took the initiative from the outset. Nguyễn Lê Phát headed against the far post from a corner and then struck the crossbar with the rebound, before Nguyễn Thanh Nhàn hit the upright, marking three efforts against the woodwork inside the first half hour. 

The pattern continued after the break, as Lê Phát's close-range shot cannoned off goalkeeper Shehab in the 53rd minute.

Kuwait surged ahead against the run of play in the 78th minute through a header by Almatar, but the lead lasted less than two minutes. From Lê Văn Thuận's corner, substitute Ngọc Mỹ rose up tall to head it into the net.

In the last minute of added time, Văn Thuận had a golden chance to secure Việt Nam's win, but the ball found the crossbar again, to the disbelief of Thuận and the hundreds of fans in Nagoya.

The draw complicates the Việt Nam U23 team's bid to reach the quarter-finals, as they are now ranked third in Group C with only one point. They will face the Philippines on September 18 before meeting Uzbekistan in the final group match. — VNS