Hot Vietnamese football news today, April 2: AFC congratulates the Vietnamese national team; Vietnam U20 women's team plays with discipline.

Hot Vietnamese football news today, April 2: AFC congratulates the Vietnamese national team; Vietnam U20 women's team plays with discipline.

AFC congratulates the Vietnamese national team.

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa sent congratulatory letters to the Vietnamese national team along with the teams from Thailand, Singapore, Syria, and Tajikistan, which secured their spots in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 finals through the third qualifying round.

"On behalf of the Asian football family, I commend the resilience and excellence demonstrated by the five member associations Tajikistan, Thailand, Singapore, Syria, and Vietnam throughout the AFC Asian Cup 2027 third qualifying campaign.

We look forward to welcoming these teams at the AFC Asian Cup 2027 finals in Saudi Arabia, a landmark event promising to be a turning point for Asian football," Sheikh Salman emphasized.

Regarding the AFC Asian Cup 2027 finals group stage draw, the plan to hold it on April 11 has been postponed by AFC. The draw is expected to take place in June, after determining the final spot among the 24 participating teams, between Lebanon and Yemen.

Vietnam U20 women's team plays with disciplined football.

Head coach Okiyama Masahiko praised the fighting spirit and discipline of the Vietnam U20 women's team despite losing 0-3 to China in their opening match of the Asian Championship.

"Vietnam U20 women's team started well against China U20, showing determination and sharpness in their play. In the second half, the whole team maintained a high fighting spirit. However, the opponent is one of Asia's top strong teams. We also made mistakes in the first two conceded goals.

We aimed for solid defense before counter-attacking, and the players executed it quite well. Despite conceding goals, the team did not collapse. The players played with discipline and adhered to tactics. China did not defeat Vietnam easily; they even had many players suffering from cramps," he shared.

In the second match, Vietnam U20 women's team will face Thailand U20 women's team on April 4, a crucial match in the competition for the second-place position in Group A.

Vietnam U23 team returns home.

On the morning of April 1, the Vietnam U23 national team split into two groups to return home. One group consisting of players and coaches from northern clubs flew to Hanoi, while the remaining group returned to Ho Chi Minh City.

Acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh allowed the entire team to disband, officially concluding the March 2026 training camp.

"The players need more time for training and international matches to improve their coordination and attacking organization. Although the results were not as desired, I am still satisfied with the team's fighting spirit," he stated.

Among the 25 summoned players, 23 have played to gain experience, with only two reserve goalkeepers not having played.

Midfielder Hoang Duc suffers from overload.

On the morning of April 1, midfielder Nguyen Hoang Duc underwent a knee examination after playing the full match against Malaysia. The results showed he suffered from overload due to playing at a dense frequency recently.

In the 3-1 victory over Malaysia on March 31 evening, Hoang Duc did not score but still left an impression with many notable plays, especially a long-range shot from over 30 meters in the 24th minute that hit the crossbar.

This midfielder has been advised to rest, limit knee joint movement for about two weeks, combined with treatment, physiotherapy, and recovery training under doctor's guidance.

Hoang Duc will temporarily not play for Ninh Binh Club in V-League until he fully recovers his physical condition.