Vietnam U20 women’s national team secured a narrow 1-0 victory over the Bangladesh U20 women’s national team in their final Group A match of the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup 2026 at the Nonthaburi PAO Stadium, Nonthaburi.
Vietnam started brightly, with midfield duo Ngan Thi Thanh Hieu and Luu Hoang Van testing Bangladesh goalkeeper Mile Akter early in the match.
Bangladesh responded in the eighth minute when Umehla Marma beat her marker on the left and surged into the penalty area, only for defender Nguyen Thi Thuong to make a timely block.
Moments later, Mosammat Sagorika had a promising opportunity after collecting Afeida Khandaker’s aerial ball, but Vietnamese goalkeeper Le Thi Thu reacted quickly to deny the effort.
After a tightly contested first half ended scoreless, the breakthrough arrived three minutes into the second half.
A long-range free-kick from defender Ta Thi Hong Minh travelled deep into Bangladesh territory, forcing Mile Akter into a difficult save attempt. The rebound spilled loose in front of goal, allowing Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh to calmly slot the ball home and give Vietnam the lead.
The goal lifted Vietnam’s momentum, but Bangladesh continued searching for a way back into the match.
Their best opportunity came in the 70th minute when Momita Khatun delivered a dangerous cross into the box for Sagorika, who rose to meet it but failed to connect cleanly with the header.
Vietnam nearly doubled their advantage late on when Thuy Linh positioned herself perfectly to meet Thanh Hieu’s cross, but she narrowly missed making contact.
The final whistle confirmed a hard-fought 1-0 win for Vietnam, but their journey in the tournament remains uncertain as they await the conclusion of other group matches to determine whether they will progress as one of the best third-placed teams. Although they must now wait for results from the remaining groups to determine their fate.
Credit Photo : HongZheng Lim/SNE-Photo
