Despite a head-to-head record where Vietnam have never defeated the UAE in 90 minutes at the U23 level, including heavy friendly losses of 3-0 and 4-0 in recent years, the momentum has shifted, following Vietnam’s perfect record in Group A.
“UAE may create a surprise, but it will be very difficult to penetrate Vietnam’s well-organized defense,” Indonesian outlet Tribune News noted and predicted a 2-0 win for the Southeast Asian side.
Another Indonesian outlet, Gunungkidul Crossing suggested that Vietnam’s main strengths are their team spirit and disciplined defense, which only conceded one goal in the group stage.
“Their attack is also very effective, capitalizing on even the smallest opportunities,” it wrote. “UAE, on the other hand, have the advantage of physical strength and pace, especially the wingers.”
Chinese media outlet 163 described Vietnam’s 5-4-1 system as “compact, agile and flexible,” maintaining a high passing accuracy of 83% and a possession of 56%. In contrast, the UAE employ a playing style like Barcelona with a 4-3-3 formation, characterized by short and quick passing.
The Chinese site predicted Vietnam have a higher chance of winning, but the match will not have many goals, and the score will likely be around 1-0, 1-1, or 2-1.
Chinese news outlet Swamp also predicted a similar scoreline with 1-1 or 1-0 for Vietnam. It believed Kim’s team would advance, even if extra time was required.
“Vietnam have a better chance of winning in extra time thanks to their good stamina and disciplined play,” it wrote.
Ukrainian website Tips also predicted a narrow win for the Southeast Asian side, as Vietnam’s playing style is defensive. Kim Sang-sik’s team are highly rated in terms of form, with three consecutive wins, while the UAE are considered weaker due to their inconsistency and defensive errors.
Global data site AZ Score favored a victory for Vietnam within 90 minutes. However, the team only have a 37% chance of winning, not much higher than the chances of a draw (32%) and a loss (31%).
One problem for Vietnam is that seven players have already received a yellow card in the group stage: Pham Minh Phuc, Nguyen Thai Son, Vo Anh Quan, Pham Ly Duc, Nguyen Phi Hoang, Nguyen Cong Phuong and Nguyen Dinh Bac.
Any player in this group who receives another yellow card in the match against UAE will be suspended for the semifinals if the team advance.
The UAE and Vietnam quarterfinal will start at 10:30 p.m. Friday (Hanoi time), and will be reported live on Read International.
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