AFC's post-match commentary praised Kim Sang-sik's team for their effective use of set pieces. Both goals came from corner kicks. The first goal originated from a corner kick by Nguyen Dinh Bac, which led to a penalty after midfielder Mohammad Taha handled the ball. Dinh Bac successfully converted the penalty, opening the scoring. Towards the end of the first half, center-back Nguyen Hieu Minh tapped in a goal from Khuat Van Khang's corner kick, sealing the 2-0 victory.

Vietnamese players celebrate Dinh Bac's opening goal in their victory over Jordan during the first round of Group A at the AFC U23 Asian Cup finals at King Abdullah Sports City Hall, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 6/1. Photo: AFC

Regarding the first half, AFC noted that the game heavily favored Vietnam. "Jordan sought counter-attacking opportunities and maintained more possession, but their attacking trio of Odeh Fakhoury, Khaldoon Sabra, and Mahmoud Theeb had virtually no chances, as Vietnam's defense held firm," the confederation stated.

AFC stated that Jordan applied greater pressure in the second half but squandered their scoring opportunities. They assessed that goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien "did not face any dangerous opportunities" in the second half until the final minutes of the match. "Fakhoury's injury-time shot was also saved by Trung Kien, securing an easy victory for Vietnam," AFC added.

Match highlights.

While Indonesian media expressed envy over Kim's team's victory, many major Thai newspapers did not report on the result. Siam Sport was one of the few Thai sports websites to cover the AFC U23 Asian Cup opening match. They suggested that both Vietnam and Jordan had scoring chances in the second half but failed to convert them.

Conversely, this result attracted numerous comments from Thai fans. On the Facebook page named Jay worapath, many praised Kim's team's performance. "Vietnam is truly top 1 in Southeast Asia," commented user Job Robo.

User Ingam Sport Rider wrote: "The SEA Games 33 champions are certainly not to be underestimated."

Pramet Sriphakdee offered a more detailed response: "It's not that Jordan is weak; it's that Vietnam is strong and better prepared. Kim's squad had assembled before SEA Games 33 and then continued their focus on the AFC U23 Asian Cup. The issue is which team is better prepared."

Trung Kien rushes out to catch the ball. Photo: AFC

This marked U23 Jordan's first defeat after an 11-match unbeaten streak. While they do not participate in tournaments like the SEA Games, they consistently play at least two friendly matches during FIFA Days. During their unbeaten run, Jordan defeated Bahrain, UAE, Syria, and Turkmenistan, and drew with Uzbekistan and Japan. They regularly play friendly matches against top continental teams, whereas Vietnam primarily competes against regional opponents.

Vietnam itself lost 1-2 to Syria in a friendly match leading up to the AFC U23 Asian Cup finals. Therefore, the victory against Jordan, a team with several players who have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026 finals, was considered a surprise. This result placed Kim's team at the top of Group A after the first round.

In the second round, Vietnam will face Kyrgyzstan at 21h on Friday, 9/1, while Jordan will play Saudi Arabia at 23h30 on the same day, Hanoi time.

Hoang An