In a highly dramatic 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup quarterfinal match in the very early morning of January 17, the Vietnam U23 national team defeated their opponents from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the first time, winning by a narrow 3–2 scoreline after 120 minutes of play to secure a place in the semifinals.
Nguyen Le Phat brought the lead for the Golden Star Warriors early in the first half, before Junior Ndiaye equalized just before the break. Vietnam went ahead again in the second half through Nguyen Dinh Bac, but Mansoor Saeed Al-Menhali forced the match to go into extra time, where Pham Minh Phuc scored the winning goal, waking up millions of Vietnamese fans.
Almost no changes were made by coach Kim Sang-sik to the starting line-up compared to the match against Saudi Arabia, where talismanic player Nguyen Dinh Bac still starts from the bench, with Le Viktor playing in his place at center-forward.
The match began slowly, with both sides adopting a cautious approach. Vietnam had, surprisingly, more possession in the early part of the first half, while the UAE sat back and waited for counterattacks.
In the 16th minute, UAE's Al-Menhali fired off a shot from a long ball into the back of Trung Kien's net. The goal, however, was not given after intervention from VAR, which deemed Al-Menhali to have committed handball before the shot was taken.
Both teams went tit-for-tat in the minutes after, and in the 32nd minute, Yousif Ahmed and Le Viktor both went for the ball and clattered into each other. Viktor was concussed and had to be subbed off; his replacement was none other than the enigmatic Dinh Bac.
Vietnam’s No. 7 wasted no time in showing his impact. In the 39th minute, a through ball in midfield found Bac free inside the penalty area. The winger played a great low cross towards Le Phat, who tapped in the empty net and opened the score for Vietnam.
But just two minutes later, a cross towards the back post from the UAE found Al-Memari, whose header rattled Trung Kien's bar and bizarrely rebounded to Junior Ndiaye. The former UEFA U17 Championship winner easily headed in the top corner of the net despite Trung Kien's best efforts to put the ball out.
With midfielder Xuan Bac also going down injured after the break, Coach Kim brought on Nguyen Thai Quoc Cuong in midfield.
The story of the second half was very much akin to the first, as Vietnam was the more active and dominant team, with a diverse range of attacking plays, while the UAE sought to capitalize on the physical advantage with long balls and crosses.
In the 63rd minute, the unlikely breakthrough came again for the men in red, as Pham Minh Phuc fired a perfect cross towards Dinh Bac. The starlet replicated his national team debut goal against Japan just two years ago with a backwards header towards the back post, leaving keeper Khaled Tawhid zero chance.
The UAE did not relent and pushed forward after Vietnam’s goal. They soon found a reply just five minutes later with a towering header by captain Al-Menhali to equalize for the second time.
As extra time was looming for both teams, Vietnam had two golden chances to close off the game. In the 89th minute, a cross from substitute Nguyen Thanh Nhan found Vo Anh Quan free inside the penalty area. Quan's unmarked header, however, was saved by the fingertips of Tawhid.
Just seconds later, Dinh Bac had a chance to shoot but elected to pass for an unmarked Thanh Nhan, whose shot was blocked with a last-ditch tackle from a UAE defender.
The last time Vietnam U23 ended regulation time with a 2-2 scoreline, they scored in the first period of extra time to bring home the victory. The same script happened again in this match, albeit a little later than in the SEA Games final against Thailand.
In the 101st minute, from a header by Dinh Bac, the ball found center-back Nguyen Nhat Minh, who shocked the UAE defense with a skillful dribble inside the penalty area. Minh tried a shot, but it was blocked, and the rebound went to Thanh Nhan, whose shot was also stopped. But on the third time, a shot was made by Vietnam; the charm came for Minh Phuc, who scored with a vicious shot that went through the legs of a center back, leaving Tawhid no chance at all.
Manager Marcelo Broli pulled out all the stops and brought on as many strikers as he could, but none could make the difference while Kim Sang-sik's defense stayed strong to end the match 3-2 in favor of Vietnam.
"We dedicate this victory to all Vietnamese football fans," said Captain Khuat Van Khang in the post-match interview.
With this result, Vietnam advanced to their second-ever AFC U23 Asian Cup semifinal and is one match away from repeating the famous 'Miracle of Changzhou' in 2018, where they advanced to the final.
Immediately after Vietnam U23’s dramatic 3–2 victory over the UAE, regional media published numerous articles praising the performance of coach Kim Sang-sik’s players.
Just minutes after the final whistle, CNN Indonesia described the match as highly dramatic, noting that Vietnam held the edge and dominated the closing stages and extra time, deserving the victory despite missing several chances.
Meanwhile, 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.
On its official website, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recapped the game by stating that Vietnam U23 passed a severe test, maintaining their fighting spirit to find “third-time luck” after conceding quick equalizers on the first two occasions they took the lead.
Vietnam’s opponent in the 2026 AFC U23 Cup semifinals will be either Uzbekistan or China, with the match scheduled for 10:30 p.m. (Hanoi time) on January 20, three days after the quarterfinal between those two teams on January 17 (6:30 p.m., Hanoi time).
