U23 Vietnam’s opponent in the quarterfinals is U23 Iraq. In the past, Vietnam achieved quite positive results against opponent Iraq. In the last 3 times the two teams met, U23 Vietnam won 1 match, drew 1 match and lost 1 match.
Over the past year, Vietnamese football has not had a draw with Iraq. Specifically, Vietnam lost 0 – 1 to Iraq in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup at My Dinh Stadium (Hanoi) and 2 – 3 in the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar. Vietnam U23 team lost easily to Iraq U23 0 – 3 in the 2023 Doha Cup friendly tournament.
In the last meeting, U23 Vietnam beat U23 Iraq in the quarterfinals of U23 Asia 2018 – a tournament in which the Golden Star Warriors then reached the final. In that tournament in Changzhou (China), U23 Vietnam under the guidance of coach Park Hang-seo drew with Iraq 3 – 3 after 2 main periods and 2 extra periods. In the penalty shootout, U23 Vietnam won 5 – 3.
In this year’s tournament, U23 Iraq is rated higher than U23 Vietnam. Iraq ended the group stage at the top of Group C – where defending champions Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Tajikistan are present.
Iraq lost to Thailand in the first match, but they showed strong progress and won the next two matches. This shows that Iraq is still a strong and “formidable” opponent.
In the group stage, Iraq played even better thanks to the players playing in Europe or playing for the national team. The central defender pair Josef Al Imam – Zaid Tahseen played solidly. Up top, midfielders Ali Al Mosawe, Ali Jasim and striker Amin Al Hamawi all have the ability to create or score goals. The most prominent is Ali Jasim – the player who had 2 assists in Iraq’s 3-2 victory over Vietnam in the 2023 Asian Cup.
Iraq is a big challenge for coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team. Even though U23 Vietnam has passed the group stage early, the gameplay still cannot make fans feel secure. U23 Vietnam’s playing style is quite skewed and lacks definition.
The only time U23 Vietnam won against U23 Iraq was in the quarterfinals of the 2018 U23 Asian Championship. This was the tournament where U23 Vietnam reached the final and won the historic runner-up position. Fans hope that U23 Vietnam can recreate the memories of Changzhou 6 years ago.
Huge psychological push from U23 Indonesia when the team from the Land of Thousand Islands surprised the whole tournament by defeating U23 Korea in a penalty shootout to win a semi-final ticket, helping coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team feel confident against their opponents. West Asia.
9:00 p.m. April 26: Uzbekistan – Saudi Arabia
0:30 April 27: Iraq – Vietnam
Expected starting lineup:
U23 Vietnam: Quan Van Chuan, Nguyen Manh Hung, Luong Duy Cuong, Le Nguyen Hoang, Ho Van Cuong, Nguyen Thai Son, Vo Hoang Minh Khoa, Nguyen Van Truong, Khuat Van Khang, Vo Nguyen Hoang, Nguyen Van Tung
Iraq U23: Hasan, Saadon, Tahseen, Al Imam, Maknazi, Ojaimi, Muntadher Mohammed, Nihad Muhammad, Karrar Mohammed, Jasim, Al Hamawi
