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Coach Kim Sang-sik’s squad finished the group stage’s three matches with five goals from 28 shots, demonstrating the clinical finishing ability of Nguyen Dinh Bac and his teammates.

This efficiency surpassed Japan, who ranked second with a 17.5% conversion rate from 10 goals and 57 chances. Other top performers were Lebanon at 16.7%, Uzbekistan at 15.6%, and Vietnam’s upcoming quarterfinal opponent, the UAE, at 13%.

Regional rival Thailand struggled with a 5% efficiency rate, ranking 12th, ahead of only China, Kyrgyzstan and the goalless teams Qatar and Iran.

Vietnam ranked fourth from the bottom in total shots created, sitting just above Qatar, the UAE and China.

In three group matches against Jordan, Kyrgyzstan and Saudi Arabia, Vietnam recorded fewer shots than their opponents yet secured victory in every game. Host nation Saudi Arabia generated the most chances with 59 shots but were eliminated after finishing third in Group A.

Vietnam’s precision is further highlighted by their accuracy on goal. Of Vietnam’s 28 shots, 13 were on target, resulting in a 46.4% accuracy rate, the second highest in the tournament behind Lebanon’s 50%. This statistic suggests that while Vietnam created fewer chances, the opportunities they generated were often situations for players with superior finishing skills.

The UAE recorded a lower accuracy rate of 30.4% and Kyrgyzstan sat at the bottom with just 15%, largely due to a reliance on low-probability long-range efforts.

Defensively, Vietnam tied with Iran for the third-best record, conceding only one goal, though Iran were eliminated while Vietnam advanced.

Japan and China were the only teams to keep clean sheets throughout the group stage. Individual defensive efforts were led by Chinese goalkeeper Li Hao, who topped the charts with 16 saves and three clean sheets, while Vietnam goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien followed in the second group with 11 saves.

In terms of clearances, Vietnam center-back Nguyen Hieu Minh ranked second with 26 interceptions, trailing only Chinese defender Peng Xiao, who made 37 clearances for a team that played a heavily defensive counter-attacking style.

In the race for the Golden Boot, Lebanon’s Leonardo Farah Shahin leads with four goals but cannot add to his tally following his team’s elimination. Nguyen Dinh Bac remains in contention with two goals, trailing Jordan’s Ali Azaizeh and Japan’s Ryunosuke Sato, who have each scored three times.

The quarterfinals begin on Friday with Japan facing Jordan, followed by Vietnam’s clash with the UAE.