Should we blame the referee for denying Xuan Son's masterpiece?

The most controversial moment of the match occurred in the 83rd minute when Nguyen Xuan Son handled the ball in the opponent's penalty area. The Vietnamese striker controlled the bouncing ball and then unleashed a superb volley into the opponent's net.

Almost immediately, the Singapore players protested, claiming that the ball touched Xuan Son's hand. Meanwhile, the away team, including the players, the coaching staff, and even captain Kim Sang-sik, all believed that the goal was valid. After a few minutes of using VAR, the referee decided to disallow Xuan Son's goal. This decision caused some anger with Mr. Kim. The Korean strategist reacted to the referee and received a yellow card.

"After the incident ended, it was understandable that many Vietnamese fans felt angry. We are fans of the team so we always think it was a goal. However, for Singaporeans, they think it was not a goal.

The situation had many disadvantages for the referee when making a decision because the camera angle was very poor in quality and not convincing. The referee had time to watch and consider the situation for a long time, not in a flash. It was a very sensitive moment because the match was almost over. If the goal was recognized, the Singapore team would have to suffer a loss in such a difficult situation.

In my opinion, the ball may have touched the inside of Xuan Son's arm a little bit. When the referee's decision has been made, we have to accept and respect it" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.

After the goal was disallowed by VAR, one of the most commendable things that the Vietnamese players did was to quickly put the controversy behind them and focus on the match. A draw away from home in such a situation is not a bad result because the return match at Viet Tri is still there.

The surprise came when the Singapore defense made a basic mistake while marking Xuan Son in the penalty area, leading to a foul. From the penalty spot, Tien Linh coolly kicked the ball into the home team's net to open the score. Just a few minutes later, Xuan Son had a simple close-range tap-in to seal a 2-0 victory for Vietnam, thereby opening the door to the final.

"In the last two goals of Vietnam, especially the opening goal of Tien Linh, I was very surprised. After that, the winning goal of Xuan Son came as a matter of course.

The players' efforts are undeniable, especially Xuan Son. However, even though we have the strength, to win 2-0, I think there was a lot of luck involved" - Commentator Quang Huy shared.