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Coach Kim Sang-sik attends a press conference at the U23 Asia 2026 finals in Arab Saudi. Photo: AFC |
Coach Kim Sang-sik will attend the press conference with captain Khuat Van Khang. The conference, held in Arab Saudi, serves as a crucial platform for the Vietnamese team to outline their strategies and mindset ahead of the challenging quarter-final encounter.
Vietnam secured their spot in the quarter-finals by topping Group A, after impressive victories over Jordan (2-0), Kyrgyzstan (2-1), and host Arab Saudi (1-0). Their opponent, UAE, finished second in Group B, with a 2-0 win against Qatar, a 0-3 loss to Japan, and a 1-1 draw with Syria.
Historically, UAE holds an advantage over Vietnam. In 8 previous matches, UAE recorded 4 wins and 4 draws. Five of these were official matches: a 0-0 draw at Asiad 14 in 2002, a 3-1 win in the round of 16 at Asiad 17 in 2014, a 3-2 victory in the U23 Asia 2016 group stage, a 1-1 draw (4-3 on penalties) in the Asiad 18 bronze medal match in 2018, and a 0-0 draw in the U23 Asia 2020 group stage. In their two most recent friendly encounters in 2022 and 2023, UAE also secured 3-0 and 4-0 victories, respectively.
This marks the fourth time both teams have reached the U23 Asia quarter-finals. Vietnam qualified in 2018, 2022, and 2024, while UAE made it in 2013, 2016, and 2020. Notably, UAE has never advanced beyond the quarter-finals in this tournament, whereas Vietnam reached the semi-finals in 2018, ultimately finishing as runner-up.
Hieu Luong
