Vietnam's under 23 (U23) team secured third place at the U23 Asian Cup 2026 after a dramatic 7-6 penalty shootout victory over South Korea. A key factor in this triumph was the guidance provided to goalkeeper Cao Van Binh by his coach, Lee Woon-jae, particularly during the crucial shootout.

According to the South Korean daily Chosun, coach Lee Woon-jae meticulously analyzed video footage to study the penalty-taking habits of the South Korean players. This detailed preparation proved invaluable for the Vietnamese team.

Before the penalty shootout commenced, head coach Kim Sang-sik asked Van Binh if he could follow coach Lee's instructions, to which the goalkeeper, born in 2005, nodded in affirmation. The newspaper article stated: "Subsequently, before each South Korean penalty attempt, coach Lee communicated in Vietnamese, indicating 'right' or 'left'. A designated substitute player standing nearby would then use special, team-specific hand signals to relay this direction to goalkeeper Cao Van Binh."

During his playing career, Lee Woon-jae was renowned among South Korean goalkeepers for his exceptional penalty-saving prowess. In the K-League, he successfully saved 26 of 58 penalty kicks, achieving a save rate of 44,8% – the highest in the league's history. On the international stage, Lee was the hero who saved Joaquin's penalty, leading South Korea to a 5-3 shootout victory over Spain in the World Cup 2002 quarterfinals.

At King Abdullah Stadium on the night of 23/1, coach Lee's assistance allowed Van Binh to correctly anticipate the direction of three of South Korea's first four penalty kicks, specifically on the first, second, and fourth attempts. However, during the decisive seventh attempt, Van Binh stated that he looked towards the technical area, but substitute goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien signaled for him to make his own decision. "I looked into the South Korean player's eyes, noticed he was focused on my right side, so I reacted quickly and read the shot," Van Binh recounted about diving to his right to block Bae Hyun-seo's shot.

In contrast to Van Binh, South Korean goalkeeper Hwang Jae-yun dived in the wrong direction for all seven penalty kicks. He chose the right side for the first six attempts, then switched to the left for the seventh, but was still deceived by Nguyen Thanh Nhan, resulting in South Korea's 6-7 defeat to Vietnam.

Goalkeeper Cao Van Binh, coach Lee Woon-jae, goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, Pham Dinh Hai (from left) after the victory against South Korea in the U23 Asian Cup 2026 third-place match, at King Abdullah Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 24/1/2026. Photo: AFC

Vietnam has become the only team to win all three penalty shootouts in the U23 Asian Cup finals. In 2018, Vietnam, with goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung, successively defeated Iraq 5-3 in the quarterfinals and Qatar 4-3 in the semifinals.

Lee Woon-jae is a legendary South Korean goalkeeper who participated in four World Cups: 1994, 2002, 2006, and 2010. He played 133 matches for the national team, becoming the only South Korean goalkeeper to join the "Century Club" (honoring players with over 100 national team appearances). His major achievements during this period include finishing fourth at the World Cup 2002 and third at the Asian Cup in 2000 and 2007. Lee and Kim Sang-sik were teammates on the South Korean national team from 2000 to 2007.

At the club level, Lee Woon-jae primarily played for two clubs: Suwon Samsung Bluewings (1996-2010) and Jeonnam Dragons (2011-2012), accumulating 451 matches. He won the Asian Club Cup (now the AFC Champions League Elite) in the 2001-2002 season, the K-League 1 four times (1998, 1999, 2004, 2008), and the FA Cup three times (2002, 2009, 2010).

Lee also garnered numerous individual accolades, including being named to the World Cup Asian All-Star Team in 2002 and receiving the K-League Most Valuable Player award in 2008. Additionally, he was selected for the K-League 1 Best XI four times (1999, 2002, 2004, 2008) and the Asian Cup Best XI in 2007.

After the 2012 season, Lee Woon-jae retired from playing and transitioned into coaching, serving as the U23 South Korea goalkeeper coach (2013-2015) and the South Korea national team goalkeeper coach (1/2016-6/2016). He also worked at his former club Suwon (2017-2018), U23 China (2018-2020), and later joined coach Kim Sang-sik's coaching staff at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (12/2020-6/2023).

Trung Thu (according to Chosun)