U23 Vietnam reach ASIAD 2026 quarter-finals: Coach Dinh Hong Vinh unsatisfied with 'slow rhythm' and missed chances

The final whistle rang out at Paloma Mizuho Stadium. My eyes were not on the Uzbekistan players shaking hands, but on coach Dinh Hong Vinh standing still by the touchline, arms folded, watching his players walk around the pitch to thank the fans. In the 68th minute, when Ibraimov dribbled past Pham Ly Duc and fired low into the far corner before goalkeeper Cao Van Binh could react, the Vietnam U23 technical area had no shouts of anger. There was only silence. The silence of a team that had just advanced, but still carried the unfinished debt of wasted chances.

The match belonged to the final round of Group C at ASIAD 2026. Vietnam conceded in the fifth minute from Mohammadali Urinboev's strike after a moment of lapsed concentration. Coach Dinh Hong Vinh said: “We intended to start cautiously against a strong opponent. But when Uzbekistan pushed up the tempo, one moment of losing focus led to the goal.” After that, his team pressed, controlled possession and created several chances. Nguyen Thai Quoc Cuong and Nguyen Ngoc My could not beat the Uzbekistan defence. Nguyen Thanh Nhan put the ball into the net once, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Losing 0-2 was the price of not making chances count. Still, Philippines beating Kuwait 2-1 helped Vietnam finish second in Group C with four points, five fewer than Uzbekistan, one more than Philippines, and reach the quarter-finals.

Dinh Hong Vinh was satisfied with his players' attitude and fighting spirit after three group games. He also saw a problem in the lack of cohesion. A team with good spirit but poor cohesion can easily break against an opponent that applies pressure with purpose. Uzbekistan did exactly that: they pressed early, scored, then dropped back and waited for Vietnam to lose patience. That is why this defeat was less about class and more about how a group reacts to adversity.

Before the tournament, Vietnam had only three days of preparation. That is important information. Dinh Hong Vinh did not use it as an excuse, but it explains why the attacking patterns lacked smoothness. Vietnam need more time to blend the core group with the players who recently competed at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup finals. This detail made me read the match differently: the team did not lose because of the game plan, but because they had not yet become a complete unit.

Based on my experience following Vietnam's youth teams for more than two decades, I do not see this defeat as a disaster. Yet the group-stage numbers must be stated plainly: 51 shots, 17 on target, three goals. I rarely use xG to judge young teams, because it cannot measure the trembling of a striker's legs in front of the goalkeeper. A poor chance-conversion rate is something that can kill any tactical plan. Dinh Hong Vinh is right when he says the team played at a slow tempo. To me, 'slow tempo' lives in the decisive moments inside the box, when a young player receives the ball but lacks the courage to finish. The 2026 World Cup gave me a strange answer: football does not need control, it needs trust. But a team's trust is measured by how often they dare to enter the opposition's penalty area, not by possession percentage.

Losing Nguyen Xuan Bac in the 35th minute to injury meant Vietnam's midfield lost its best player at keeping rhythm and transitioning play. Dinh Hong Vinh admitted the team could not maintain pressure and gradually became stuck. I remember 2026, when a young midfielder sat in the corridor of Thong Nhat Stadium and called his mother after tearing a ligament; I understand that injuries are never an excuse, but they explain why a collective loses its operating rhythm. Without Xuan Bac, Vietnam's attacking play gradually lost its soul. In the 68th minute, Ibraimov sealed the match with a dribble that exposed a large gap in Vietnam's defence.

Many people will say Uzbekistan were stronger, so losing is normal. I see this match more as a test of emotion than a gap in quality. Vietnam had the ball, had chances, and had a goal disallowed. The problem was not a lower ranking, but the habit of decision-making in the final third. If one of those early first-half shots had become a goal, the match could have been different. I once wrote that an empty stadium would not make me leave this job, because I work for the sound around a goal. In this match, the missing sound was the Uzbekistan net rippling.

What makes me most reassured is the attitude of the man in charge. Dinh Hong Vinh did not blame the referee, the pitch or fitness. He talked about failing to exploit the final third, about the need to recover physically, and about the injuries of Nguyen Xuan Bac and Nguyen Thai Quoc Cuong. He also said: “We are still slow. We attack without efficiency.” A coach who speaks plainly about finishing instead of using vague language is putting the focus where it belongs. In my trade, the hottest news is heard in whispers. Coach Vinh's whisper is in this sentence: “If the early first-half chances had become goals, the match could have been different.” It is a naked admission, worth more than any excuse.

The opponent will be known after South Korea face Saudi Arabia in Group D. South Korea only need a draw to top the group, and if that happens, they will meet Vietnam at Paloma Mizuho Stadium, Nagoya, on September 25, 2026. South Korea are a title contender with three quality overage players. The gold medal also grants South Korean players exemption from mandatory military service, so their motivation is obvious. At this moment, dwelling on tactical schemes is perhaps less useful than talking about the ability to withstand pressure and the collective spirit.

Vietnam U23 enter the quarter-final with a bigger question than tactics: how much do they trust each other against a stronger team? The answer is not in the 51 group-stage shots. It lies in who is willing to take responsibility in the box, and whether the team can do what Uzbekistan denied them today: score at the right time. Dinh Hong Vinh believes the new players will progress through this experience. He said: “The new group of players will gain experience for the future, playing alongside the group that competed in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup final round.” I believe it too, but youth football does not reward potential. It rewards those who dare to finish.