Thai media admitted that the defeat right at home put the national team at a great disadvantage before the second leg. A Thai newspaper headlined: "War Elephants painfully lose to Vietnam 0-2 at home in the first leg of the Southeast Asian King final".
According to the analysis of this newspaper, the home team created some chances in the first half but could not take advantage of them. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese team played more effectively after the break and continuously scored two goals to decide the match.
From Malaysia, the country's media assessed that the victory in Bangkok helped the Vietnamese team create a significant gap before the second leg. An article commented: "Vietnam sinks Thailand, great advantage when returning to Hanoi".
Malaysian newspapers believe that Thailand once aimed for a victory at home to create an advantage before the away match in Vietnam, but that plan was unsuccessful. Conversely, Vietnam is facing the opportunity to defend the ASEAN Cup championship.
Meanwhile, Indonesian newspapers focused on the personnel changes of coach Kim Sang-sik. Hai Long and Quang Hai were brought on in the second half and then scored in the 62nd and 69th minutes respectively.
An Indonesian newspaper commented: "Vietnam's two goals in just 7 minutes really became a disaster for the home team. Thailand could not score a goal to narrow the score in the remaining time.
Indonesian media also emphasized the position of the Vietnamese team after the victory: "Vietnam proves the class of the defending champion when defeating the home team at Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok".
Another article by Indonesian media commented that the championship is approaching Vietnam after a 2-0 victory. With a two-goal advantage, coach Kim Sang-sik's team is only one match away from the goal of defending the title at My Dinh Stadium.
According to the schedule, the second leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 final will take place on August 26. The Thai team must win by at least 2 goals to bring the championship race back to balance.
