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Korea lose to 10-man Vietnam on penalties to finish 4th at Asian U-23 football tournament

Published: 24 Jan. 2026, 10:47

CHO YONG-JUN
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Korea lost to 10-man Vietnam on penalties to finish 4th at the Asian U-23 football tournament at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium in Jeddah on Jan. 23 [KOREA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION]

Korea finished fourth at the top Asian men's under-23 football tournament in Saudi Arabia following a loss to 10-man Vietnam.

Coached by Lee Min-sung, Korea dropped to Vietnam 7-6 on penalties in the third-place match at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium in Jeddah on Friday. The two sides were tied at 2-2 after 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of extra time, before Vietnam, coached by Kim Sang-sik, prevailed in the nail-biting shootout.

This was Vietnam's best performance at this AFC event since finishing as runner-up under a different Korean-born coach, Park Hang-seo, in 2018.

Korea had snuck into the quarterfinals after finishing in second place in Group C behind Uzbekistan. They knocked off Australia 2-1 in the quarterfinals but then lost to Japan 1-0 in the semifinals.

Vietnam won all three matches in Group A and eliminated the United Arab Emirates in the quarterfinals with a 3-2 victory. However, Vietnam suffered a 3-0 loss to China in the semifinals, dropping to the third-place contest.

Korea held a 75.6-24.4 edge in ball possession and outshot Vietnam 12-3, while also finishing with a 32-5 advantage in shot attempts. Korea had 61 crosses to Vietnam's four.

However, Korea couldn't break through against a dogged Vietnamese defense early and conceded the match's first goal to Nguyen Quoc Viet at the half-hour mark.

Korea thought they had been awarded a penalty four minutes later when Nguyen Dinh Bac collided with Jung Seung-bae, but a video review confirmed there would be no spot kick for the trailing team.

Kim Tae-won equalized for Korea in the 69th minute, but Nguyen Dinh Bac responded for Vietnam only two minutes later.

With Korea on the verge of a defeat, the match took a dramatic turn with Nguyen Dinh Bac being shown a direct red card in the 86th minute. Korea sent the match into the extra session thanks to Shin Min-ha's last-gasp goal deep into stoppage time.

But the extra time solved nothing, and then the first six kickers for both teams converted their shots in the shootout.

It came down to the seventh takers. After Bae Hyun-seo was denied by Cao Van Binh, Nguyen Thanh Nhan beat Hwang Jae-yun in the left corner to seal Vietnam's win.

Coach Lee said afterward that the U-23 squad remained a work in progress as they seek a fourth consecutive gold medal at this year's Asian Games, another U-23 competition.

"We are not a complete team yet. We are a team that should continue to improve," Lee said at his postmatch press conference. "We should have played with a little more composure in extra time. We did not have the technical skills to attack the opponent's defensive line when they went down a man. If we can get sharper in attacking the half-space and the final third, we will be a much better team."

Kim Sang-sik said he had all the confidence in the world in his players despite the late ejection.

"These players were running on fumes, but they displayed great mental fortitude," he said. "I am really proud of them. I'd like to congratulate them on grabbing this victory. This match will be an opportunity for our players to grow and take another step forward."

Yonhap