It came down to penalties! The Vietnam national team defeated South Korea in a shootout to claim third place in the 2026 Asian U23 Football Championship.
The 2026 Asian U23 Football Championship third-place match took place on the evening of Friday, 23 January 2026. The "Golden Stars," Vietnam's national team, faced off fiercely against South Korea's national team.
In the first half, at the 30th minute, Vietnam took the lead 1-0 with a goal from Nguyen Quang Huy. Then in the second half, at the 69th minute, South Korea equalized 1-1 through Kim Tae Won. But two minutes later, Nguyen Dinh Bach scored to put Vietnam ahead again, 2-1.
By the 86th minute, Vietnam was down to 10 men after Nguyen Dinh Bach committed a serious foul and was immediately shown a red card and sent off.
With the numerical advantage, South Korea pressed hard and managed to equalize 2-2 through Shin Min Ha during added time at 90+7 minutes.
After 90 minutes, the score was tied 2-2, leading to extra time. However, neither side scored in the additional 30 minutes, so the winner had to be decided by a penalty shootout.
Vietnam proved more accurate in the shootout, winning 7-6 against South Korea to secure third place in the 2026 Asian U23 Football Championship. South Korea finished in fourth place.