Just a few minutes after being brought onto the field, Nguyen Hai Long made a difference in the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 final on the evening of August 22.
In the 62nd minute, from Hoang Duc's through ball, Dinh Bac backheeled the ball to a favorable position for Hai Long to finish, opening the score for the Vietnamese team.
The goal came 11 days after coach Phan Thanh Hung passed away. For Hai Long, that moment is of special significance because his late teacher was the one who gave him the opportunity to join Than Quang Ninh's first team and play in the V.League.
After the match, Hai Long posted a photo celebrating the goal on his personal page, with the message: "I know this goal Coach (coach) will bless me.
Hai Long joined the Than Quang Ninh youth team in 2015 after training at Viettel Football Center. In 2020, coach Phan Thanh Hung brought the young player to the first team and gave him the opportunity to debut in the V.League. At that time, Than Quang Ninh lacked Hai Huy due to injury, while Hai Long was still an inexperienced face.
Coach Phan Thanh Hung's belief was quickly restored. Hai Long attracted attention in his first season, then was called up to the Vietnamese youth teams and gradually developed his career.
In a comment on his former student, former coach Phan Thanh Hung once said: "When working with Hai Long, what I see in him is professionalism, progressiveness, and a very gentle personality. He can finish with both feet the same, the shooting force is extremely good. Long will go even further".
The goal at Rajamangala is even more special as Hai Long once scored in the match Vietnam won against Thailand 3-2 in the second leg of the ASEAN Cup 2024 final.
After 2 years, he once again scored against the "War Elephants", contributing to helping the Vietnamese team create a 2-0 advantage before the second leg final at My Dinh on August 26.
This is also Hai Long's way of responding to the trust that coach Phan Thanh Hung once had in him.
