AFC U17 Asian Cup – Group C: Vietnam 3-2 UAE
Jeddah: Vietnam came from behind to edge the United Arab Emirates 3-2 in a thrilling AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026™ Group C tie on Wednesday to seal a spot in the quarter-finals.
18/05/2026 15:22:51
The victory earned Vietnam top spot in Group C on six points, one better than Korea Republic, with both teams also securing their berths at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2026.
Vietnam will play Australia in the quarter-finals with Korea Republic to face defending champions Uzbekistan.
UAE got off to a dream start, scoring after just 16 seconds when Hussain Yousuf slipped Sultan Nasir into the box to smash the ball home.
Vietnam spurned a great chance to equalise in the eighth minute after Le Trong Dai Nhan picked out Nguyen Van Duong with a square pass in the box but the latter ballooned his effort over the bar.
Van Duong fared better in the 20th minute, firing a rasping shot from outside the box but UAE custodian Joshua Bentley was equal to the attempt, pushing the ball out for a corner kick.
The Southeast Asian side were not to be denied four minutes before the break as Chu Ngoc Nguyen Luc curled a free-kick beyond Bentley’s dive and into the corner to send the tie into the interval on level terms.
Vietnam head coach Cristiano Roland and his UAE counterpart Majed Salem kept faith with their respective selections as they emerged for the second half unchanged.
Source: AFC
