AFC U23 Asian Cup Group A: Saudi Arabia 0-1 Vietnam
Jeddah: Vietnam clinched their AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026™ quarter-final spot with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Saudi Arabia in their final Group A tie on Monday. The determined display saw Vietnam top the group with maximum points and they will face the Group B runners-up in Friday’s last eight tie while defeat meant elimination for Saudi Arabia.
Knowing anything but a win would see them exiting the competition, Saudi Arabia made a lively start with Musab Aljuwayr and Abdulaziz Alelewai pulling the strings but without being able to test Vietnam custodian Tran Trung Kien in the opening 20 minutes.
Good work from Majed Abdullah to hold up the ball in the 27th minute allowed Alelewai the time to find Aljuwayr in the box but the Saudi captain put his effort well wide.
Alelewai then teed up the marauding Salem Alnajdi for a fierce strike seven minutes later that needed Tran’s intervention as Saudi Arabia continued to build up the pressure on Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia went closer two minutes before the break when Aljuwayr whipped in a cross which Thamer Alkhaibari nodded past Tran but unluckily for the forward, the ball bounced off the post.
Kim Sang-sik tried to breathe new life into his Vietnam attack at the start of the second half by sending on forwards Nguyen Le Phat and Nguyen Dinh Bac but it was Saudi Arabia who went close again.
Alelewai exchanged passes with Alkhaibari to burst into space in the box in the 53rd minute but his curling attempt was saved by the quick reflexes of Tran, with the Vietnam goalkeeper denying the Al-Kholood player from close range minutes later.
Against the run of play, Vietnam took the lead in the 64th minute after Awad Dahal lost the ball which saw Nguyen Ngoc My then relaying it to Dinh Bac who surged into the box and fired home past Hamed Yousef from an acute angle.
Needing two goals to overturn the tie and take their last eight spot, Saudi Arabia pushed hard in the remainder of the match but could only produce a Abdulrahman Alobaid header which Tran saved as Vietnam held firm to take the win.
