On the evening of 23/1 at King Abdullah Stadium, Korea was twice trailing but managed to equalize in regular time. The team then gained an advantage when Vietnam's Nguyen Dinh Bac received a direct red card, reducing them to ten men. However, Korea failed to break through Vietnam's defense during the 30 minutes of extra time, ultimately losing 6-7 in the penalty shootout.

During the post-match press conference, coach Lee Min-sung answered only three questions, his tone clearly reflecting his disappointment. "I deeply regret that despite having a man advantage, we should have played more calmly," Lee stated. "When the opponent was short-handed, we should have capitalized on our technical superiority, but unfortunately, we could not."

Coach Lee Min-sung speaks after Korea drew 2-2 with Vietnam and then lost 6-7 in a penalty shootout in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup third-place match at King Abdullah Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 23/1/2026. Photo: AFC

Against Vietnam, Korea controlled 76% of possession, launching 32 shots with 12 on target. In contrast, Vietnam had 5 shots, with 3 on target. Korea completed 898 passes compared to Vietnam's 299. This disparity highlighted Korea's strength but also Vietnam's clinical efficiency, with Nguyen Quoc Viet and Nguyen Dinh Bac converting two of their three shots on target into goals.

This marks the first time Korea has lost to Vietnam at the U23 level, following a record of six wins and three draws. Coach Lee Min-sung assessed that his team is still developing and requires more time to improve, particularly in defensive capabilities.

Coach Lee shared: "We conceded easily, so I am not satisfied with our defensive performance. However, the team did play well in some matches, such as defeating Lebanon 4-2 in the group stage and Australia 2-1 in the quarterfinals. But we need to further develop our technical and tactical aspects for the team to improve."

Korea has now lost three consecutive third-place matches at the AFC U23 Asian Cup. Previously, the team lost 2-3 to Jordan in a penalty shootout in 2013 and 0-1 to Qatar in 2018. Meanwhile, this marks Vietnam's first third-place finish in six appearances at the tournament.

This outcome puts coach Lee under significant pressure following the team's underwhelming performance in the tournament. While the squad was missing several players competing abroad, it received investment for preparation for ASIAD 20 in Japan this September. Korea aims to secure a fourth consecutive gold medal since 2014, a feat that would grant players military exemption.

Hieu Luong