International media comment on U23 Vietnam's victory over U23 Saudi Arabia

While the Asian Football Confederation and ASEAN regional press see this result as a reflection of Vietnam’s tactical progress, many Saudi Arabian newspapers view the match more as a home team’s internal failure than the opponent’s convincing victory.

On its official page, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) described U23 Vietnam's win as a result accurately reflecting the group’s dynamics. In its news and technical reports, the AFC did not consider this outcome a surprise but rather the product of a sensible match approach against an opponent with physical advantage and ball control. The AFC also noted that the game demonstrated Vietnam’s tactical discipline and effective chance conversion.

Saudi Arabian media expressed clear disappointment. Several major sports outlets in the country described U23 Saudi Arabia’s defeat as a major shock, especially given the team was expected to advance far with the home advantage. Some articles emphasized Saudi Arabia’s dominance in possession and numerous attempts on goal but noted a lack of finishing efficiency. Saudi media argued that the biggest issue was not the team’s fighting spirit but their inability to convert dominance into goals.

Nevertheless, many Saudi Arabian newspapers acknowledged U23 Vietnam’s victory. Analytical pieces suggested that the Vietnamese side deliberately lowered their defensive line, maintained good spacing, and minimized gaps in midfield. According to these assessments, U23 Vietnam’s win was not due to luck but to thorough preparation and superior game reading at critical moments.

In Southeast Asia, media from Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia regarded U23 Vietnam’s triumph as a significant milestone for regional football. Some Thai newspapers noted that Vietnam is gradually shedding its image as a purely counter-attacking team, instead adopting flexible tactics and controlling the game’s tempo when necessary. Malaysian and Indonesian media also praised U23 Vietnam for maintaining high concentration under constant pressure from the hosts.

Meanwhile, several English-language sports sites in Asia (ESPN Asia, Inside World Football) called this one of the most notable results in the group stage. Their analyses suggested that Saudi Arabia’s loss reflects an increasing balance in Asian youth tournaments, where teams previously considered weaker are closing the gap in tactical organization and match mentality.

Overall commentary reveals a common recognition in international media of U23 Vietnam’s growing stature. Rather than seeing this as a temporary phenomenon, many articles regard the victory over Saudi Arabia as proof that Vietnamese youth football has reached a stable level on the continental stage. Conversely, Saudi media view the defeat as a warning to improve attacking efficiency and competitive resilience in major tournaments.

The win against U23 Saudi Arabia in the final match of Group A has made history for U23 Vietnam at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship in an unprecedented way. Coach Kim Sang Sik’s team not only secured a quarterfinal spot but also became the first Southeast Asian team to win all three group matches and top the group.

With a perfect 9 points from victories over U23 Jordan, U23 Kyrgyzstan, and host U23 Saudi Arabia, U23 Vietnam has for the first time finished the AFC U23 Championship group stage as group leaders while achieving three straight wins in this round.

These historic milestones are significant not only statistically but also demonstrate clear growth in resilience, tactics, and match intelligence, opening opportunities for U23 Vietnam to advance further and aim to surpass their runner-up finish in the 2018 tournament.