Vietnam and Saudi Arabia off to winning starts at AFC U23 Asian Cup

Vietnam and Saudi Arabia both opened their AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 campaigns with victories on Tuesday, securing early momentum in the race for the quarter-finals.

Vietnam enjoyed a confident start as first-half goals guided Kim Sang-sik’s side to a 2-0 win over Jordan. The Southeast Asian team asserted themselves early, testing Jordan goalkeeper Abdelrahman Suleiman through long-range efforts from Khuat Van Khang and Pham Minh Phuc.

Their pressure paid dividends in the 15th minute when Nguyen Dinh Bac calmly converted a penalty following a VAR review that penalized Mohammad Taha for handball. Vietnam continued to capitalize on set-pieces and doubled their advantage in the 42nd minute, with Nguyen Hieu Minh left unmarked at the back post to steer home Van Khang’s inswinging corner.

Jordan pushed harder after the break but were unable to break down a disciplined Vietnamese defense, with Vietnam comfortably seeing out the match to take all three points.

In the other encounter, hosts Saudi Arabia edged debutants Kyrgyz Republic 1-0 thanks to a dramatic late goal from Rakan Al Ghamdi. Despite dominating possession and enjoying a numerical advantage after Arsen Sharshenbekov was sent off in the 34th minute, the 2022 champions were repeatedly denied by an inspired performance from Kyrgyz goalkeeper Kurmanbek Nurlanbekov, who even saved Musab Al Juwayr’s penalty in the second half.

With time running out, Saudi Arabia finally found a breakthrough in the 88th minute when Al Juwayr slipped a clever pass to Al Ghamdi, who rifled his shot past Nurlanbekov to seal the victory.

The results leave Vietnam and Saudi Arabia well placed early in the tournament. Saudi Arabia will face Jordan on Friday, while Kyrgyz Republic will look to bounce back against Vietnam in their next fixture.

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