At King Abdullah Stadium on the evening of 9/1, Nguyen Xuan Bac started the match and was substituted in the 63rd minute by Nguyen Thai Quoc Cuong. In the same substitution round, Nguyen Dinh Bac replaced Nguyen Quoc Viet.

Immediately after the match, both players named Bac were requested by the organizers to undergo doping tests. Previously, no Vietnamese player had undergone this procedure at the tournament in Saudi Arabia.

Forward Nguyen Dinh Bac (in red) competes during the 2-1 victory over Kyrgyzstan in the second match of group A at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup finals, at King Abdullah Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 9/1. *AFC*

Doping control typically involves two methods: First, the tournament organizers inform the team about the test, then randomly select a few players after the match to collect samples. The second method involves unannounced, random visits to the location where players are competing.

In the case of Dinh Bac and Xuan Bac, having just played at high intensity and being dehydrated, both had to drink extra water to be able to urinate for sample collection. The two players could only leave the sample collection room at 21h30 on 9/1 (Riyadh time, which was 1h30 on 10/1 Hanoi time), approximately two and a half hours after the match concluded.

Xuan Bac, born in 2003, is one year older than Dinh Bac. Both have been key players under coach Kim Sang-sik, winning the 2025 AFF U23 Championship, securing gold at the 33rd SEA Games, and competing in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup finals.

Xuan Bac (in red) contests an aerial ball with a Kyrgyzstan player. *AFC*

In this match, after being pressured for the first 15 minutes, Vietnam unexpectedly opened the scoring with a penalty from Khuat Van Khang. However, the Central Asian representative surged strongly, leading to numerous errors in Vietnam's defense. In the 44th minute, Nguyen Hieu Minh's misplaced pass allowed Marlen Murzakhmatov to score from long range, equalizing the score at 1-1.

As the match approached the final minutes of the second half, Vietnam scored again following a corner kick. Pham Ly Duc crossed from the right wing to the near post for Le Van Thuan to head the ball. The ball deflected off Khristiyan Brauzman's foot, changing direction and leaving goalkeeper Nurlanbekov helpless.

"This victory is the result of the entire team's 90-minute effort," said team captain and midfielder Khuat Van Khang. "Many events unfolded in the match, but we anticipated every scenario, from scoring first to being equalized, and remained determined to win."

Midfielder Nguyen Thai Son, the man of the match, also stated that it was not an easy victory. "We strive in each match to go as far as possible," Son said.

After two matches, Vietnam secured victories against Jordan (2-0) and Kyrgyzstan (2-1), leading group A with 6 points, three points ahead of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. In the final group stage match against hosts Saudi Arabia on 12/1, the team only needs to avoid defeat to guarantee the top spot.

Hieu Luong