Coached by Kim Sang Sik, Vietnam U23 will now face South Korea U23 in the third-place playoff, while China U23 will meet Japan U23 in the final.

Vietnam U23 started the first half with a cautious approach, sitting deep defensively and looking to counter. The Southeast Asian side created a few notable moments from set pieces taken by Khuat Van Khang, but failed to break down a disciplined Chinese defence.

China U23 enjoyed greater possession and applied pressure through wide attacks, yet neither side found the net before the break, with the score level at 0-0 at half time.

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.

The defeat ends Vietnam U23’s hopes of reaching the final, but Kim Sang Sik’s side still have a chance to claim a medal in the third-place match.

Vietnam U23 defeat UAE in extra time to advance to AFC U23 Asian Cup semifinals

VOV.VN - Vietnam U23 booked a place in the semifinals of the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 after a dramatic 3-2 extra-time victory over UAE U23 on January 16 at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.