Vietnam Star’s Pre-Match Taunt Backfires: China U23 Captain Responds with a 3–0 Victory — “Now, Say Something.”

In the early hours of January 21, the U23 Asian Cup delivered a dramatic showdown as China U23, with just one win in four matches, faced a red-hot Vietnam U23 side boasting a perfect four-win record. Before kickoff, Vietnam’s key player Nguyen Tien Bac boldly taunted China — only to be silenced emphatically on the pitch.

China entered the tournament as an unlikely contender. Despite scoring just one goal across four matches (penalty shootouts excluded), they defied expectations to reach the semifinals through resilience and discipline. Vietnam, however, appeared even more dominant, winning all four matches and scoring eight goals.

Fuelled by their impressive form, Vietnamese players showed overwhelming confidence ahead of the match. Wearing No.7, Nguyen Tien Bac openly claimed he would score three goals against China. Meanwhile, Vietnam’s head coach Kim Sang-sik publicly stated his expectation of meeting South Korea in the final — a remark widely interpreted as overlooking China.

But once the match began, everything changed. China head coach Antonio delivered a masterclass in tactical adjustment, rotating six players and abandoning a defensive approach in favor of aggressive attacking football. Vietnam struggled to adapt. In the second half, China scored three unanswered goals, completely turning the game on its head and leaving Vietnamese players visibly stunned.

The emotional climax came after the final whistle. China U23 captain Liu Haofan confronted Nguyen Tien Bac directly. Speaking to the media, Liu explained:
“When it became 3–0, I remembered their No.7 saying before the match that they’d beat us 3–0. So after we actually made it 3–0, I asked him — ‘It’s 3–0 now. Say something.’”

He added candidly, “It felt incredible. I was just waiting for that third goal.”

Following the heavy defeat, Nguyen Tien Bac posted a photo of himself kneeling on social media and issued an apology to Vietnamese fans:
“The first thing I want to say is — I’m sorry to everyone.”