Three identical matches, one fragile ticket: U23 Vietnam reach Asiad 2026 quarterfinals

Three times the referee whistled at the group stage of Asiad 2026, three times the stands saw the same familiar face of U23 Vietnam. The team held the ball, built slowly, approached the opponent's box, then stopped at a weak finish. When play moved back, the defence worked like an orchestra without a conductor. The 0-2 loss to Uzbekistan in the final Group C match confirmed a feeling that had been growing for three matches. Former international Nguyen Tuan Phong, in an analysis published by Tuoi Tre, called them three identical matches: controlling possession, creating chances, missing them, and conceding avoidable goals.

The qualification ticket was still good news. After 90 minutes against Uzbekistan, the ticket came from the entire group. Kuwait and Philippines could not produce a different result, so U23 Vietnam finished second in Group C and advanced to the quarterfinals. Phong called it a wonderful thing, but immediately raised difficult questions. Coach Dinh Hong Vinh's team had no assured centre-backs, no real holding midfielder and no clinical finisher. The generational transition made what he called “many squad deficiencies” even clearer.

The back three was built in an emergency. Hieu Minh and Nhat Minh were absent. Duc Anh, Le Nguyen Hoang and Pham Ly Duc started. Phong said they lacked the necessary cover and did not yet speak the same language as a trio of centre-backs. In a back-three system, the space between centre-back and wing-back is always dangerous. Uzbekistan attacked exactly there, pushing balls into the space behind the wing-back and forcing centre-backs out of position.

Le Dinh Long Vu was heavily exploited on the left flank in the first half. Phi Hoang came on after the break and improved the situation. The substitution showed the staff could read the game, but only after the mistake had been made. In a knockout match, late correction can mean conceding first.

The bigger issue was the space in front of the three centre-backs. Xuan Bac and Nguyen Thai Quoc Cuong are both attack-minded midfielders. No natural holding midfielder in the Thái Sơn mould sat in front of the defence. Uzbekistan needed only two quick attacks to score. That is the pattern South Korea or Saudi Arabia will use in the quarterfinal.

Vietnam controlled possession but failed to convert. The absence of Dinh Bac removed the one player who could create something out of nothing. The problem of U23 Vietnam is structural, not isolated to one match. Three identical matches are evidence of a habit, not an accident.

The public may misread the quarterfinal ticket. Compared with the Kim Sang Sik era, this squad is assessed as weaker than its previous version. There is no panic, but there is a clear warning: the team is advancing with an unbalanced structure, while praise is based on a fragile result.

Fans do not need a perfect team. They need a real team. Nguyen Tuan Phong is doing part of the dressing-room job by naming limits. Vietnam's youth pipeline produces attacking talents but lacks top centre-backs and defensive midfielders. Against stronger and more physical opponents, the team must decide whether to keep a possession style that has not worked or shift to a more pragmatic game. The answer will be seen in the next match.