Being arranged by coach Kim Sang-sik to start in the second leg semi-final on the evening of August 19, Nguyen Dinh Bac played the full 90 minutes. Right at the beginning of the match, he had a ball from the right wing into the penalty area for Tuan Tai to finish.
After that, the striker born in 2004 continued to coordinate with Hai Long and launched a shot that forced goalkeeper Ghani to intervene.
A noteworthy point in Dinh Bac's performance lies in his mobility. He often put pressure on the Malaysian defense, and at the same time retreated when the opponent had the ball. Dinh Bac's continuous runs helped the home team maintain pressure and create more space for the players behind.
With this performance, Dinh Bac was awarded the title "Yanmar Most Energetic Player - Most energetic player of the match". This award coincided with the day the striker turned 22.
Dinh Bac did not score in the two semi-finals, but up to this point, he still has 5 goals at ASEAN Cup 2026, equal to Xuan Son and also leads the scoring list.
After the second leg semi-final, coach Kim Sang-sik also praised Dinh Bac a lot.
It's not because today (August 19) is his birthday that I let him play. Dinh Bac is a young player, plays well and has abundant fitness, so I used all 90 minutes. The upcoming matches will all be like that.
In previous interviews, I talked a lot about Dinh Bac. He needs to develop more, not only in the Southeast Asian arena but also in the Asian arena and possibly in Europe. I think Dinh Bac needs to run more, participate in defense more," Mr. Kim said.
In fact, Dinh Bac's role should not only be assessed by the number of goals scored. Wide operating ability, pressing and defensive support are helping him become an important option in coach Kim Sang-sik's tactical system before the two final matches against Thailand.
