U23 Vietnam fuel Asian dream with dramatic semi-final run

U23 Vietnam kept their Asian dream alive at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup, earning widespread attention from fans and football bodies after a thrilling 3-2 extra-time win over U23 UAE in the quarter-finals.

The hard-fought victory, sealed by Minh Phuc’s decisive goal in the 101st minute, sent the Southeast Asian representative into the semi-finals and drew praise from the official fanpages of FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), with FIFA posting: “A dream waiting to be completed…” Earlier, FIFA also shared a video revisiting U23 Vietnam’s miraculous journey at Changzhou in 2018, creating a connection between the past and the present - where today’s generation is striving to carry forward and complete the unfinished dream of their predecessors.

Earlier, goals from Le Phat and Nguyen Dinh Bac had twice put U23 Vietnam ahead before UAE forced extra time with their aerial strength. The win marked Vietnam’s second-ever semi-final appearance at the continental U23 level.

Dinh Bac continued to shine, scoring one and providing one assist against UAE to earn the 'Man of the Match' honour. With three goals and one assist after four matches, the 2004-born forward is jointly leading the scoring charts alongside Ryunosuke Sato (Japan) and Amoori Faisal (Iraq). With U23 Vietnam having advanced to the semi-finals, the striker still has at least one, and possibly two, more matches to add to his tally in the race for the Golden Boot.

Ahead of the semi-finals, U23 Vietnam received a further boost as AFC cleared all yellow cards after the quarter-finals, allowing key players to return.

Head coach Kim Sang Sik said the victory proved his team could compete at the highest Asian level, praising their fighting spirit and progress.

Vietnam’s performance also sparked admiration across Thai media, with leading outlets and fanpages applauding the team’s endurance, mental strength and ability to prevail over 120 minutes, particularly after U23 Thailand’s early exit from the tournament.

Thailand’s Siam Sport hailed that Vietnamese football is rising once again, writing that Kim Sang-sik’s men showed the heart of a lion, overcoming the UAE in a tense, dramatic and breathless match to reach the AFC U23 semifinals for the second time in history.

Thai football outlet Think Curve was particularly impressed by the stamina of the Vietnamese players, remarking that they ran relentlessly for 120 minutes without fading and played as if showcasing their physical strength in an extremely demanding match.

The Republic of Korea’s media also praised Vietnam U23’s dramatic 3 2 extra-time win over UAE, calling it the “Kim Sang Sik miracle” as the team reached the semi-finals of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup.

Vietnam U23 will face the winner of the Uzbekistan China match in the semi-finals on January 20, with the final scheduled for January 24, as the Red Shirts move one step closer to making their unfinished dream come true./.