Uzbekistan U23 Edge Past Vietnam in Asian Games Group Stage
Uzbekistan U23 secured a 2:0 victory over Vietnam U23 in the Asian Games Group Stage - 3 on 22 September 2026. The result keeps both sides in contention for progression, though the visitors now sit top of the table with nine points from three games. Vietnam, meanwhile, remain in second place with four points after a win, a draw and a defeat.
M. Urinboev opened the scoring early, five minutes in, and that proved to be the turning point. Vietnam pushed back but could not find a way through. By then, the visitors had already established a rhythm that would govern the rest of the half. They dallied on the ball when they needed to and got punished when they didn't.
Half-time brought a flurry of changes on both sides, four substitutions each, as coaches reshuffled their options. The most telling moment arrived immediately after the break when A. Jumaev thought he had doubled the lead, only for VAR to cancel the goal at 47 minutes. It was a blow, but Uzbekistan did not panic. To be fair, they had seen it coming — Vietnam would come at them hard after the restart.
We had called for the visitors to win, and that came to pass. It was not a dominant display, but it was efficient enough. N. Ibraimov made sure of the second at 67 minutes, and from there the hosts ran out of legs. They kept knocking on the door but lacked the composure to test the Croatian goalkeeper properly.
The statistics tell a story of control rather than domination. Both sides held 50% possession, but Uzbekistan generated 102 attacks to Vietnam's 87. On target, the visitors registered three shots compared to one from the hosts. There were four corners for Uzbekistan against one for Vietnam, and they won more free-kicks — seven to nine in favour of the hosts, but the quality of the chances told the real tale.
Vietnam's recent form had suggested resilience — a 2:0 win over Philippines U23 and a 1:1 draw with Kuwait U23 — but this was a different proposition. Uzbekistan had proven themselves with wins over Kuwait and Philippines, plus a narrow 1:0 victory over USA U21. They are unbeaten in five across all competitions and fancy their chances in this tournament.
The yellow cards came late — Nguyen Quang at 86 and Rizakulov at 88 — a sign of the tension as Vietnam sought a way back into the game. It did not materialise. Uzbekistan saw it out, and the clean-sheet run came to an end for Vietnam after two games without conceding. The goal difference now reads +2 for the visitors and +1 for the hosts, and that margin may prove decisive.
