Vietnam U23 booked a place in the semi-finals of the AFC U23 Asian Cup after a dramatic 3–2 extra-time win over UAE U23 on Friday night in Jeddah, in a match that kept fans in Hanoi awake well past midnight.
Vietnam twice took the lead and were twice pulled back before finally sealing victory in extra time. Nguyen Le Phat opened the scoring late in the first half, but Junior Ndiaye equalised for the UAE just before the interval.
The men in red went ahead again in the second half through a headed finish by Nguyen Dinh Bac, only for UAE captain Mansoor Saeed Al-Menhali to level the score and force extra time. With nerves stretched and legs tiring, Pham Minh Phuc struck in the 101st minute, firing home the decisive goal to spark scenes of celebration on and off the pitch.
The victory sends Vietnam into their second-ever AFC U23 Asian Cup semi-final and leaves them one match away from repeating the famous 2018 “Miracle of Changzhou” run to the final.
