2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup | Việt Nam wins AFC U23 cup opener against Kuwait
| Bùi Vĩ Hào celebrates after completing his brace that claimed all three points for Việt Nam against Kuwait. VNA/VNS Photo/ Anh Đức
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Vietnamese players train in Doha, Qatar. Việt Nam will play Kuwait in the AFC Asian U23 Cup’s first match on April 17. Photos courtesy of VFF |
Despite the scoreline, the victory was hard-fought, with the Golden Star Warriors reduced to ten men in the first half.
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DOHA The Việt Nam U23 national football team started their journey at the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup with a 3-1 victory against Kuwait on Wednesday.
Despite the scoreline, the victory was hard-fought, with the Golden Star Warriors reduced to ten men right in the first half.
Nguyễn Văn Tùng opened the scoring for Việt Nam in the first minute of first half added time but Kuwait equalised seconds before the interval with a penalty by Salman Al-Awadi.
It took a brace from substitute Bùi Vĩ Hào in the second half to claim the three points for Việt Nam, though the story could have been so much different for both sides.
Dark clouds hovered over Hoàng Anh Tuấn’s first match as U23 coach, as starlet Nguyễn Đình Bắc taken off injured in the sixth minute.
Memento Maxima Digital MarketingIn the 15th minute, a good opportunity came for Việt Nam, as Võ Nguyên Hoàng dribbled past the Kuwaiti defence and crossed low from the left side. Nguyễn Văn Tùng and Khuất Văn Khang both went for the ball and crashed into each other, sustaining minor injuries to themselves in the process.
The real drama of the match happened in the 29th minute when Văn Khang was clearly fouled by the Kuwaiti player for stealing the ball from Ebrahim Marzouq. VAR stepped in and found Marzouq stomping on Khang’s thigh, and he advised referee Abdulla Al-Marri to brandish a red card.
With the man advantage, Việt Nam dominated possession and created chance after chance. But it was only until the end of the first half that they found their breakthrough. In the 45th minute, Văn Trường found Văn Tùng free on the left wing with a great through pass, and an unmarked Tùng finished in style with a delicate shot into the bottom left corner of the net.
However, just after the kickoff, the Vietnamese defence let Abdul Karam through inside the box, and tournament debutant Nguyễn Ngọc Thắng gave away a foul and conceded the penalty. Thắng was shown red after VAR intervened and concluded that the 22-year-old had been denied a goal-scoring opportunity.
As Al Wadhi equalised from the spot and all of Việt Nam’s advantages evaporated right before the interval, forcing coach Tuấn to make three substitutions, with Vĩ Hào, Nguyễn Minh Quang, and Nguyễn Mạnh Hưng coming on for Văn Khang, Nguyên Hoàng, and Văn Tùng.
Việt Nam was given a gift from Kuwait’s captain Ali Marzouq, as the goalkeeper fumbled a backpass, and the ball was stolen by Vĩ Hào, who put the ball into the empty net and reclaimed Việt Nam’s lead in the 48th minute.
Hoàng Anh Tuấn’s team also had their fair share of comedic errors. In the 55th minute, Minh Quang had an empty net to shoot, but the striker did not take the shot and chose to dribble for a moment, with his final shot blocked by the Kuwaiti defence. Though his teammate scored with the rebound, the goal is disallowed as a player was offside in the lead-up play.
As the game dragged on, Việt Nam played better and were in complete control despite being down to ten men. In the 76th minute, 2023 V-League Young Player of the Season Nguyễn Thái Sơn hit a great pass that found Vĩ Hào free inside the box. Though the ball was hit without power, Ali Marzouq was unable to save it, and Việt Nam extended their lead.
Hào’s double sealed the 3-1 victory and a crucial three points for Việt Nam in Group D. The Golden Star Warriors now lead the group, having scored one more goal than Uzbekistan, who won their opener 2-0 against Malaysia.
Despite the victory, coach Tuấn was not happy with his team’s performances.
“The opponent was not special. My players did not play to their expected levels, and that created a problem,” said Tuấn.
Tuấn also addressed Ngọc Thắng’s sending-off, noting that such mistakes should happen.
Việt Nam will face Malaysia on Saturday, and a victory would put them closer to the quarter-finals. VNS
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2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup
| كأس آسيا تحت 23 سنة 2024 | |
|---|---|
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| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Qatar |
| Dates | 15 April – 3 May 2024 |
| Teams | 16 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 4 (in 3 host cities) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 8 |
| Goals scored | 18 (2.25 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Ayman Yahya Bùi Vĩ Hào(2 goals) |
The 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup is the 6th edition of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup (previously the AFC U-23 Championship before rebranding from 2021),[1] the biennial international age-restricted football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men’s under-23 national teams of Asia. The tournament is being held from 15 April to 3 May 2024.[2]
The tournament acts as the AFC qualifiers for the 2024 Summer Olympics men’s football tournament in France. The top three teams of the tournament qualify for the Olympics as the AFC representatives, while the fourth-best team will enter a single-elimination AFC–CAF play-off match.[3] A total of 16 teams are competing in the tournament.[4] Saudi Arabia are the defending champions.
Host selection
Qatar was selected as the host for this competition by the Asian Football Confederation Competitions Committee on 30 September 2022.[5] This marks as the second time that Qatar is hosting this competition, the first in 2016.
Qualification
Qualification matches were played between 6 and 12 September 2023.[6]
Qualified teams
| Team | Qualified as | Last appearance | Appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Qatar |
Hosts | 2022 | 5th | Third place (2018) |
 Jordan |
Group A winners | 2022 | 6th | Third place (2013) |
 South Korea |
Group B winners | 2022 | 6th | Champions (2020) |
| Vietnam |
Group C winners | 2022 | 5th | Runners-up (2018) |
 Japan |
Group D winners | 2022 | 6th | Champions (2016) |
 Uzbekistan |
Group E winners | 2022 | 6th | Champions (2018) |
 Iraq |
Group F winners | 2022 | 6th | Champions (2013) |
 United Arab Emirates |
Group G winners | 2022 | 5th | Quarter-finals (2013, 2016, 2020) |
 Thailand |
Group H winners | 2022 | 5th | Quarter-finals (2020) |
 Australia |
Group I winners | 2022 | 6th | Third place (2020) |
| Saudi Arabia |
Group J winners | 2022 | 6th | Champions (2022) |
 Indonesia |
Group K winners | — | 1st | Debut |
 Kuwait |
Best runners-up | 2022 | 3rd | Group stage (2013, 2022) |
 Tajikistan |
2nd Best runners-up | 2022 | 2nd | Group stage (2022) |
 China |
3rd Best runners-up | 2020 | 5th | Group stage (2013, 2016, 2018, 2020) |
 Malaysia |
4th Best runners-up | 2022 | 3rd | Quarter-finals (2018) |
Venues
Four stadiums are being used, which were also used in the previous 2023 AFC Asian Cup in January and February 2024.
| Al Rayyan | ||
|---|---|---|
| Jassim bin Hamad Stadium | Khalifa International Stadium | |
| Capacity: 15,000 | Capacity: 45,857 | |
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| Doha | Al Wakrah | |
| Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium | Al Janoub Stadium | |
| Capacity: 12,000 | Capacity: 44,325 | |
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Draw
The draw took place at the Wyndham Doha West Bay in Doha on 23 November 2023 at 12:00 AST (UTC+3).[7]
The 16 teams were placed into four groups of four teams, with seeding based on their performance at the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.[8] As hosts, Qatar were ranked as the top seeded team.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
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Match officials
The following referees and assistant referees were appointed for the tournament. Video assistant referees were used in this tournament.
Squads
Players born on or after 1 January 2001 are eligible to compete in the tournament. Each team registered a squad of 18 to 23 players, including a minimum of three goalkeepers (Regulations Article 26.3).[4]
Group stage
- Tiebreakers
Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Article 7.3):[4]
- Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
- Goal difference in all group matches;
- Goals scored in all group matches;
- Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group;
- Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
- Drawing of lots.
All times are local, AST (UTC+3).[9]
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar (H) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Australia |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | |
| 3 | Jordan |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | |
| 4 | Indonesia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0 |
- ^ Jump up to:a b Disciplinary points: Australia –1, Jordan –3.
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3[a] | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Japan |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3[a] | |
| 3 | United Arab Emirates |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0[b] | |
| 4 | China |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0[b] |
Notes:
- ^ Jump up to:a b Disciplinary points: South Korea –1, Japan –3.
- ^ Jump up to:a b Disciplinary points: United Arab Emirates 0, China –2.
| South Korea |
1–0 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Thailand |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 | |
| 3 | Tajikistan |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 0 | |
| 4 | Iraq |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0 |
| Saudi Arabia |
4–2 | Tajikistan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vietnam |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Uzbekistan |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 | |
| 3 | Kuwait |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0 | |
| 4 | Malaysia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0 |
| Uzbekistan |
2–0 | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
| Vietnam |
3–1 | Kuwait |
|---|---|---|
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Report |
Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty shoot-out will be used to decide the winner if necessary.
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 25 April – Al Rayyan (Jassim) | ||||||||||
| A1 | ||||||||||
| 29 April – Al Rayyan (Jassim) | ||||||||||
| B2 | ||||||||||
| 26 April – Al Wakrah | ||||||||||
| C1 | ||||||||||
| 3 May – Al Rayyan (Jassim) | ||||||||||
| D2 | ||||||||||
| 25 April – Doha | ||||||||||
| B1 | ||||||||||
| 29 April – Doha | ||||||||||
| A2 | ||||||||||
| 26 April – Al Rayyan (Khalifa) | ||||||||||
| Third place play-off | ||||||||||
| D1 | ||||||||||
| 2 May – Doha | ||||||||||
| C2 | ||||||||||
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Winners will qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Third place play-off
The winner will qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics. The loser will advance to the AFC–CAF play-off match.
Final
Broadcasting rights
| Territory | Broadcasters | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Australia |
Paramount+ | [10] |
| Indonesia |
MNC Media | [11] |
| Japan |
DAZN, NHK, TV Asahi | [12] |
| Saudi Arabia |
SSC, Shahid | [13] |
| South Korea |
tvN Sports | [14] |
| Vietnam |
VTV, FPT | [15] |
Goalscorers
There have been 18 goals scored in 8 matches, for an average of 2.25 goals per match (as of 17 April 2024). Players highlighted in bold are still active in the competition.
2 goals
1 goal
Qualified teams for the 2024 Summer Olympics
The following three teams from the AFC qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympic men’s football tournament in France.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in the Summer Olympics1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | Finalist | 29 April 2024 | |
| TBD | Finalist | 29 April 2024 | |
| TBD | Third place play-off winner | 2 May 2024 |
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1 Italic indicates hosts for that year.
Controversies
Opening Match
The opening match of AFC U-23 Asian Cup in Group A, Qatar vs Indonesia, faced numerous backlashes due to controversial refereeing decisions from Tajikistan referee, Nasrullo Kabirov. The Indonesia U-23 national football team accuses Kabirov of being biased towards Qatar, with Qatar receiving favourable decisions, while Indonesia repeatedly scrutinized by Kadirov which leads to red cards for Ivar Jenner and Ramadhan Sananta.[16]
Qatar took the lead in the first half with Khalid Ali Sabah scoring in the 45+1 minute through a penalty kick awarded by the referee for a foul committed by Indonesian defender Rizky Ridho against Qatari player Mahdi Salem.[17] Initially, the referee awarded a free kick to Indonesia, but after consulting VAR, he ruled in favor of Qatar, leading to protests from the Indonesian players.[17] Sabah converted the penalty, beating goalkeeper Ernando.[17]
Ramadhan Sananta was also shown a direct red card during the match. Initially, the referee had issued a yellow card, but after a VAR review, he upgraded it to a red card during injury time.[17]
Indonesian national football team head coach Shin Tae-yong expressed his outrage over the poor refereeing decisions:
Congratulations to Qatar. The players did their best to deliver a good performance, especially considering we were down in numbers and didn’t give up easily. However, many of the referee’s decisions throughout the game, if you look at them, it’s not a football match, it’s a comedy show and highly exaggerated. I can’t say anything about the players who received red cards, I’m speechless. Football shouldn’t be played like this. On our first red card, there was no contact at all. Why did they use VAR in situations like this?[17]
Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) has also sent a protest letter to AFC due to controversial decisions from referee Nasrullo Kabirov. The president of PSSI, Erick Thohir, confirmed this.[18]
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