Pre-match information
The Vietnamese national team opened ASEAN Cup 2026 with a confrontation with Timor Leste. Compared to Indonesia and Singapore - two direct competitors for a ticket to the semi-finals, Timor Leste is considered a lighter challenge for coach Kim Sang-sik's team.
For many years, Timor Leste has not made an impression in the regional arena. This team often stops right from the group stage of the ASEAN Cups and is still considered one of the teams with low level in Southeast Asia. However, that does not mean that the Vietnamese team is allowed to be subjective.
The Timor Leste squad has many players playing abroad, mainly in lower divisions of Australia and Portugal. The most prominent is striker Joao Pedro, who has the ability to create breakthroughs in counter-attack situations.
However, coach Pedro Alves Salazar's team has not shown cohesion, often revealing gaps when deploying the ball and depending quite a lot on crosses or long balls.
In fact, Timor Leste once caused difficulties for some strong opponents. At ASEAN Cup 2024, they once led Malaysia 2-1 before losing 2-3. This result shows that the Vietnamese team still needs to maintain focus if they want to completely control the game.
On the Vietnamese team's side, the performance against Myanmar in the friendly match brought many positive signals for the attack. With the presence of players capable of creating breakthroughs such as Xuan Son, Hoang Hen, Tai Loc, Quang Hai or Dinh Bac, Mr. Kim Sang-sik has many options to penetrate the opponent's defense.
If they play according to their ability and take advantage of opportunities well, the Vietnamese team can completely aim for a convincing victory, thereby creating favorable momentum for the journey to defend the ASEAN Cup 2026 championship.
