Vietnam U19 faced a difficult challenge against hosts China U19 in their opening match of the Panda Cup 2026, with the home side enjoying advantages in physical strength, fitness and familiar surroundings.

Coached by Hoang Anh Tuan, Vietnam U19 began their training camp on November 5 but arrived at the tournament without their strongest squad.

The coaching staff opted to give opportunities to several young players, including newcomers aged just 16 and 17.

Three members of the squad had previously been called up to Vietnam U16 for the CFA Team China Peace Cup 2026: goalkeeper Le Hoang Gia Bao, midfielder Pham Tuan Kiet and forward Hoang Trung Anh.

The squad also included 10 players who had been selected for Vietnam U20's 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifying campaign: Dau Hong Phong, Nguyen Van Khanh, Tran Hoang Khanh, Hoang Trong Duy Khang, Hoang Cong Hau, Nguyen Van Bach, Le Huy Viet Anh, Le Minh Nhat, Le Kha Duc and Nguyen Quoc Khanh.

Meanwhile, China U19 head coach Dejan Djurdjevic assembled a 28-man squad featuring some of the country's most promising young footballers.

Among them were two Europe-based players, Zhang Jiaming of Burnley and Wei Xiangxin of French club Auxerre.

Standing 1.89 meters tall, Zhang previously spent time training with Bayern Munich's youth setup, while Wei moved to Europe to join Auxerre, a club competing in France's Ligue 1.

As expected, China U19 dominated possession and created numerous scoring opportunities.

Yang Zhanpeng opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a free kick that struck the post before finding the net.

The hosts continued to press forward, leaving Vietnam struggling to establish their attacking rhythm throughout the first half.

Vietnam showed improvement after the break, with Nguyen Van Bach forcing the Chinese goalkeeper into a difficult save from a tight angle in the 54th minute.

China doubled their lead in the 73rd minute when Yang Zhanpeng converted a penalty following a controversial decision against Vietnam captain Nguyen Quoc Khanh, who appeared to have made contact with the ball while defending.

Vietnam refused to give up and pulled a goal back in the 79th minute.

From a cross delivered by Quoc Khanh on the right flank, Vietnamese-origin striker Antonio Moric rose to head the ball into the net, reducing the deficit to 2-1.

The goal gave Vietnam renewed hope as they pushed forward in search of an equalizer.

However, China capitalized on the spaces left behind Vietnam's defense in stoppage time. Jia Weiwei finished from close range in the 93rd minute to seal a 3-1 victory for the hosts.

Despite their determined second-half display, Vietnam U19 were unable to avoid defeat in their tournament opener. 

Vietnam will next face South Korea U19 on November 14.

The CFA Team China Panda Cup 2026 runs from November 11 to 17 at the Shuangliu Sports Centre in Chengdu, featuring four teams: Vietnam, China, South Korea and Tajikistan.

The teams compete in a round-robin format to determine the tournament champion.

Dai Nam