China PR dominated Vietnam while Japan edged Korea Republic in a hard-fought semifinal to set up an all-Asian final
AFC U23 Asian Cup – finalists are set as China PR and Japan will lock horns for the title of the 2026 Saudi Arabia U23 competition.
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China PR thrashed Group A’s best sides, U23 Vietnam 3-0, in the second semifinal, while Japan edged Korea Republic with Kaito Koizumi’s only goal.
U23 Asian Cup 2026: U23 Vietnam and Japan booked quarterfinals tickets with perfect records
AFC U23 Asian Cup S-finals results
Japan and China PR booked their places in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026™ final after two compellingly different semi-finals on Tuesday, with the defending champions showing their steel against Korea Republic before China PR produced a dominant second-half display to end Vietnam’s dream run.
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U23 Asian Cup semi-final – Japan 1-0 Korea Republic
Back-to-back finalist, U23 Japan proved once again how far they could go as they booked the first ticket to this year’s final.
At the King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium, Japan edged past a resurgent Korea Republic 1-0 in a contest that underlined why Go Oiwa’s side have set the benchmark at this level over the past decade.
Kaito Koizumi’s first-half strike proved decisive, sending Japan into a record-extending third final and keeping alive their quest to become the first nation to win consecutive U23 Asian Cup titles.
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Oiwa made five changes from the quarter-final victory over Jordan, injecting fresh legs and energy into his side. At the same time, Korea Republic stuck with the same XI that had eliminated Australia.
Japan began with intent and nearly struck early when Yutaka Michiwaki was released by a raking pass from Shuto Nagano, only to lift his effort narrowly wide in the 11th minute. The forward was again at the heart of Japan’s next opening, racing onto Kosei Ogura’s through ball but failing to control cleanly, allowing goalkeeper Hong Seong-min to gather.
Korea Republic gradually settled and created danger of their own. Kim Yong-hak’s header from Kang Seong-jin’s free-kick forced a sharp save from Rui Araki, who clawed the ball away at full stretch. Moments later, Hong produced a fine stop to tip Koizumi’s swerving cross over the bar, but the respite was brief. From the resulting corner in the 36th minute, Nagano’s header was parried by Hong and Koizumi reacted quickest to tap in the rebound, giving Japan the breakthrough their pressure deserved.
The second half told a different story, with Korea Republic emerging revitalised and pushing Japan back for long spells. Kang dragged a shot wide from inside the box, Jang Seok-hwan rattled the crossbar with a thunderous long-range effort, and Rion Ichihara was forced into a desperate block to deny Kim Tae-won. Araki again came to Japan’s rescue on 63 minutes, reacting superbly to parry Kang’s close-range volley after a corner had not been properly cleared.
Despite being under sustained pressure, Japan’s defensive organisation and composure shone through. They weathered the storm, slowed the tempo when required, and closed out the match with the maturity of champions, moving one step away from history.
Vietnam 0-3 China PR – History made for the dark horse
U23 China PR finally ended U23 Vietnam with a convincing victory, and for the first time in the history of Asian competition, advanced to a final.
While the scoreline reflected the second-half dominance, the contest was more evenly poised before the break, with Vietnam showing flashes of the resilience and belief that had carried them this far.
China PR started aggressively, with Kuai Jiwen seeing an early effort blocked and Chen Zeshi firing over from distance. Vietnam goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien was quickly called into action, diving low to deny Xiang Yuwang at close range.
Having absorbed the early pressure, Vietnam responded with their best spell of the match. Khuat Van Khang forced an excellent save from Li Hao with a curling free-kick, before Nguyen Cong Phuong’s instinctive swivelling shot was again kept out by the alert Chinese goalkeeper.
Those missed opportunities proved costly. After the interval, China PR raised the intensity and were rewarded almost immediately. An inswinging corner caused chaos in the Vietnamese box, and Peng Xiao, recovering from being jostled to the ground, rose to head home and break the deadlock. The goal visibly lifted China PR, who began to play with confidence and authority.
Just three minutes later, Kuai Jiwen dragged a promising effort wide, but the second goal soon followed. In the 52nd minute, Xiang Yuwang displayed remarkable composure at the top of the box, controlling Kuai’s pass, gliding past three defenders and finishing coolly into the bottom corner. Vietnam, who introduced Nguyen Dinh Bac at the start of the second half in search of inspiration, struggled to regain momentum.
China PR thought they had added a third in the 73rd minute through Peng Xiao, only for VAR to rule the goal out for offside. The decision offered Vietnam a lifeline, but it was short-lived. Moments later, Pham Ly Duc was shown a straight red card, leaving Vietnam with ten men and an uphill battle.
To their credit, Vietnam continued to push, refusing to abandon the attacking intent that had defined their tournament. However, space opened up as they chased the game, and China PR exploited it ruthlessly in stoppage time. Wang Yudong struck in the eighth minute of added time to seal a comprehensive victory and confirm China PR’s place in the final.
What’s next
China PR will go all-in for their first major trophy, against the defending champions, U23 Japan. Meanwhile, U23 Vietnam and U23 Korea Republic will clash for a third place.
