Football 

HÀ NỘI — Nguyễn Đình Bắc capped a landmark AFC U23 Asian Cup for Việt Nam by claiming the tournament’s top scorer award, as the young side finished third for their second-best result in the competition’s history.

Việt Nam secured third place, behind only their runners-up finish in 2018, after a thrilling 7-6 penalty shootout victory over powerhouse South Korea on January 23 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Bắc scored one goal and provided an assist in the match, which finished 2-2 after regulation time at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium.

The 21-year-old ended the tournament with four goals and two assists across six matches, from the group stage to the third-place playoff, where Việt Nam faced strong opposition including Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

What made Bắc’s campaign at Saudi Arabia 2026 even more impressive was that the forward started only two of Việt Nam’s six matches, with his minutes carefully managed due to injury.

The Hà Nội Police FC striker opened his tournament by scoring Việt Nam’s first goal in a 2-0 win over Jordan and netting the only goal in a 1-0 victory against hosts Saudi Arabia as the team topped Group A.

He later came off the bench to score the second goal in a dramatic 3-2 extra-time win over the UAE.

Although Việt Nam’s title hopes were ended by China in the semi-finals, Bắc again proved decisive in the third-place playoff against South Korea, scoring his side’s second goal with a sublime free-kick.

While a red card late in regulation time ruled him out of the penalty shootout, Bắc nonetheless lit up Saudi Arabia 2026 with a series of sparkling performances.

Bắc, who played with a groin injury, finished level on four goals with three other players – Ryunosuke Sato of Japan, Ali Azaizeh of Jordan and Leonardo Farah Shahin of Lebanon – to lead the scoring race.

Bắc and Sato stood out as the final two contenders, with both registering two assists. The Vietnamese forward ultimately claimed the title as his time on the field, 409 minutes, was shorter than the Japanese player’s 451 minutes.

On receiving the news, Bắc, who kept apologising for the red card that forced his side to work hard before beating South Korea, said nothing but posted “Oh my God!” on his Facebook page.

Meanwhile, the AFC praised his achievement, posting: “4 goals. 2 assists. He didn’t just participate, he dominated!”

Bắc made history as the first Vietnamese player to win the honour. Previously, midfielder Nguyễn Quang Hải scored five goals at the 2018 tournament but finished one short of winner Ali Almoez of Qatar.

In addition to the title, Bắc’s goal in the match against the hosts on January 12 was named the best of the tournament.

The only regret is that the red card will rule him out of Việt Nam’s next two matches, including the Asian Cup 2027 qualifier against Malaysia on March 31 at home. — VNS