The Southeast Asian side came into the competition targeting one of four berths at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, but squandered an early lead before falling to a 2-1 defeat courtesy of Mohammed Al Zubi's 89th minute goal in their opening match.

Knowing his side will be staring down the barrel of elimination with another defeat, the Vietnamese boss said it was time to move on.

"After losing a game late, the psychology can be a problem," he acknowledged. "But we know that this is possible in football. You can win, you draw or you can lose, but we must make our players understand that they need to look forward.

The Southeast Asian side squandered an early lead and eventually fell to Mohammad Al Zubi's 89th-minute winner, five minutes after captain and defensive lynchpin Dang Van Toi suffered a game-ending injury.

Reflecting on the defeat, Tuan pinpointed the loss of his skipper as the turning point in the encounter.

"We lost the game, but for me both teams had a 50-50 chance and our problem came after 84 minutes when my captain was injured," he said. "Then in the last minute we lose a goal and we have no time to change it.

"We must wait to see what the doctor says (regarding Toi). Maybe tomorrow we'll have the results."

The former Socceroos striker praised his young charges after Ramu Najjarine's superb 89th minute effort gave them a share of the spoils despite falling behind to Jeon Se-jin's goal in steamy conditions at the Patriot Chandrabhaga Stadium..

"I'm extremely proud of the playing group," he said. "The boys that started, and the ones that came on all made an impact and that was important.

"Everyone gave their maximum, and although we did fall behind, we showed our character. Players still wanted the ball and they believed in getting the result from the game."

The Koreans had seemingly been cruising towards three points in the Group C clash, but Najjarine's late heroics denied them an opening win after the impressive Jeon Se-jin had given them a 52nd minute lead.

The result keeps both sides' hopes of reaching the AFC U-19 Championship quarter-finals well and truly alive, with crucial fixtures to follow on Monday.

A superb header from Vietnam's Nham Manh Dung had given his side an early lead, but Jordan quickly replied through Mohammed Atieh and spurned a series of chances before Al Zubi popped up to secure a deserved win in the 89th minute.

Vietnam started strongly and, with winger Le Xuan Tu prominently involved in the build-up, Dung ensured they were rewarded when he rose high above the Jordanian defence to steer a precise header in at the far post and give the Southeast Asians a 21st minute lead.

The Croatian head coach was pleased with Harimau Muda's effort in their opening Group D clash, as the Southeast Asians ensured it wasn't only the humid conditions that made the two-time champions sweat.

"We are here as underdogs, playing against Saudi Arabia who are one of Asia's power teams and nobody expects too much, but we gave them a tough time," the former Johor Darul Ta'zim and Kelantan boss explained.

"I told the boys I am proud that they fought for all 90 minutes. I think that they were playing near maximum.

"Overall, I am not disappointed, I am proud. Of course, there are mistakes. There are always mistakes and if there weren't you'd win every game, but we are not at that level yet."

Sharafjon Solehov's precise 77th minute strike gave the Central Asians a 1-0 win at Patriot Chandrabhaga Stadium, putting them in a strong position to each the quarter-finals for the second consecutive edition of the competition.

Speaking after the match, a delighted Ergashev said the result was a fair reward for his young side's performance.

"China is a good team with good players, but we had more chances," he declared "We could have scored earlier also."

"In football the best team on the day is the winner, and I think Tajikistan was the best team in this game."