In the qualifying round of the AFC U23 Championship 2018, the Vietnam U23 squad are put in a group with strong rivals such as the Republic of Korea (RoK), Australia, and Syria.
In their first match of the finals, Vietnam’s U23s faced a very strong rival RoK U23s.
In the 17th minute, after receiving a pass from striker Phuong, midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai opened the score for Vietnam.
Midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai
However, RoK U23s managed to score twice and won the game. The match ended 2-1 in favour of RoK U23s.
After a loss in their first match, Vietnam’s U23s then faced Australia U23s in their second match.
The game’s only goal came from Vietnamese midfielder Quang Hai bringing a miracle result for the Vietnam U23 squad. They defeated Australia U23s 1-0.


The Vietnam U23 squad faced Syria U23s in the final match of the qualifying round.
The Vietnam U23 squad tied goalless with Syria U23s, wining a ticket to the quarter-finals for the first time.

In the quarter-finals, Vietnam U23s played against their very strong rival Iraq.
In the official 90 minutes and nervous extra time, Vietnam drew 3-3 with the Asian powerhouse.
Vietnam continued their dream journey at the AFC U23 Championship after beating Iraq 5-3 in the penalty shootout on January 20 night in Changsu, China.
In the semi-final round, Vietnam will next play Qatar on January 23.