In the 73rd minute of the match at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium on the evening of 20/1, China scored their third goal against Vietnam. Striker Behram Abuduwaili, celebrating his goal, collided with defender Nguyen Nhat Minh, causing him to stumble, then continued to rush towards Ly Duc. The Vietnamese defender reached out as if to retrieve the ball, but his action appeared to be an off-the-ball strike. The Chinese player quickly fell, clutching his face.

Defender Ly Duc (number 3) marking a Chinese player in the U23 Asia Cup semi-final on the evening of 20/1. *Photo: AFC*.

Australian referee Alexander George King, with a direct view of the incident, immediately intervened between the players before showing Ly Duc a red card. The Vietnamese defender showed minimal protest, accepted the penalty, and left the field.

VAR subsequently reviewed the situation leading to the goal and determined that Abuduwaili was in an offside position and interfered with the ball, obstructing goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien. Consequently, the goal was disallowed, and the score remained 2-0 in favor of China.

However, VAR did not intervene to rescind Ly Duc's red card. Article 9 of the protocol between VAR and the International Football Association Board (IFAB) states: "Any behavioral offense occurring after a situation has been referred to VAR cannot be overturned, except for offenses directly leading to the VAR situation, such as interfering with a potential opportunity or preventing a clear goal-scoring chance".

Elaborating on this, Mr. Duong Van Hien, former head of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) referee board, affirmed that the referee's decision was correct. "Ly Duc clearly obstructed and pulled his opponent down. This is identified as violent conduct. Therefore, this offense will be penalized, regardless of whether the situation led to a goal or not, or if it was offside or not; the referee cannot rescind the card," he told VnExpress.

The situation where Ly Duc received a red card.

After the match, Ly Duc did not explain the red card. He only posted an apology message on his personal page and received significant support instead of criticism from fans.

This red card means Ly Duc will miss the third-place play-off match against Korea, scheduled for 22h on Friday, 23/1. Vietnam will also be without defender Nguyen Hieu Minh, who suffered a ligament tear and had to leave the field in the 30th minute of the aforementioned match.

Ly Duc, born in 2003, hails from Tay Ninh. He was trained at PVF – when the center was still in Ho Chi Minh City (TP HCM), then moved to Nutifood. During the 2023-2024 season, the 1,82 m tall defender was loaned to Ba Ria – Vung Tau to play in the First Division. From the following season, he became a regular starter for HAGL in the V-League.

In 7/2025, Ly Duc moved north to join Cong an Ha Noi FC. Although he played less for the club, he was regularly called up to the national team and U23 Vietnam, becoming a key player in their championship runs at the U23 Southeast Asia Championship 2025, SEA Games 33, and this year's U23 Asia Cup.

Duc Dong