"Vietnam led Jordan 2-0 in their U23 Asian Cup 2026 opener, but in football, anything can happen," Krian Buriram posted after the first half of the match on the evening of 7/1. "Vietnam might run out of energy in the second half, and Jordan will come back to win 3-2."

Post on Krian Buriram fanpage after the first half of Vietnam's 2-0 victory over Jordan in the opening match of Group A, U23 Asian Cup finals at King Abdullah Sports City Hall, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 6/1. *Photo: screenshot*

Krian Buriram is a Thai football page on Facebook with over 189,000 followers. They describe it as a space for fans to have fun discussing "the king of sports."

Their post yesterday garnered hundreds of interactions. Many recognized the fanpage's intention to mock Thailand, as the Thai team had previously led Vietnam 2-0 in the first half but lost 2-3 in the SEA Games 33 men's football final on the evening of 18/12/2025.

User Krisanapong Sangtubtim commented: "This page is too mean."

Suthayut Suwannarat replied: "Vietnam is not like Thailand."

Gulrond Phonsai agreed: "We have to admit Vietnam is a step ahead of Thailand."

In the aforementioned match, Vietnam led 2-0 in the first half with goals from forward Nguyen Dinh Bac and center-back Nguyen Hieu Minh. Coach Kim's squad, despite showing signs of fatigue in the second half, maintained the score to secure the top spot in Group A.

After the match, the fanpage posted: "What is happening? How could Vietnam defeat an Asian runner-up like Jordan? They showed their class with a dream debut. This is truly a big shock. Vietnamese people are really strong, deserving to be number one in Southeast Asia."

The top comment on this post came from Sila Komchai: "No surprise. Vietnam prepares well for every tournament. For them, the national team is the most important because it represents honor and dignity. Whether successful or not, they always try their best."

User Prompong Kenphapong sarcastically commented: "There's still a long way to go. I mean, Vietnam has surpassed Thailand by a long shot."

Thailand, along with Vietnam, represents Southeast Asia at the U23 Asian Cup 2026 finals. Coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul's team is in Group D and will face Australia on 8/1, Iraq on 11/1, and China on 14/1.

Coach Thawatchai's team arrived in Saudi Arabia a week later than Vietnam and did not play any friendly matches. Coach Thawatchai previously admitted he was missing 10 key players compared to SEA Games 33, as Thai League clubs did not release players.

Hoang An compiled