Surprise from doubtful names
In the second leg semi-final Vietnam - Malaysia at My Dinh Stadium, coach Kim Sang-sik adjusted the squad by bringing Quang Hai to pair with Hoang Duc in midfield and choosing Doan Van Hau to replace Bui Hoang Viet Anh in the left center-back position.
In the same corridor, Phan Tuan Tai replaced Nguyen Van Vi to be given resting conditions. The player born in 2001 who once embellished the unsuccessful experiment under his predecessor Philippe Troussier has never made fans feel secure when assigned the responsibility of playing as a starter. Not to mention, Do Hoang Hen started from the beginning in a context where he is gradually affirming his ability in his first ASEAN Cup journey.
These adjustments helped the Vietnamese team have a convincing victory at My Dinh Stadium. Quang Hai, Hoang Duc and Hoang Hen controlled the midfield well, while the high-pressing ability made it difficult for Malaysia to deploy the ball.
Malaysia's ball possession rate in many periods is slightly higher than Vietnam's. But at that time, they only circled around making passes in their own half. The mobility and high-intensity movement from Hai Long, Dinh Bac, Hoang Hen, Quang Hai, Hoang Duc made Malaysian players unable to deploy the ball sequentially from their home field as desired. Every time they tried to pass long over the line to hope to escape the pressing from above, Malaysia encountered the trio Thanh Chung, Xuan Manh, Van Hau intercepting in the lower line to neutralize.
Commendable competition day
The Malaysian team did have the ball to play, but they encountered a deadlock when they wanted to push the squad to create pressure from the midfield line. Even in many situations, the high-range defense ability of the Vietnamese team caused the Malaysian team to lose the ball dangerously.
Changing to a good state based on actively moving players, including both full-backs Tuan Tai and Tien Anh, helps coach Kim Sang-sik's team always maintain a sufficiently seasoned number to counter-attack. If they were luckier and sharper, the home team could have scored against Malaysia before halftime.
Xuan Son's two goals in the 2nd half solved the only problem that the Vietnamese team had encountered before. The striker born in 1997 came on in the 58th minute and showed 2 of the most formidable abilities he had ever shown at the ASEAN Cup 2024. That is seizing opportunities in front of the goal and impressive reach thanks to a strong physical foundation. A double against Malaysia helped Son rise to the top of the scoring list of the tournament. More importantly, he reached a high form right at the time when the Vietnamese team entered the sprint stage.
However, not only Xuan Son achieved his peak performance. In fact, many faces that were once doubted have together proven their class. Quang Hai and Hoang Duc are not disadvantaged when taking on the task of controlling the midfield, although both are stronger in attack than defense.
Van Hau played too well when Mr. Kim gave him a chance to return. In defense alone, according to statistics, Van Hau achieved a 100% successful tackle rate, 6 clearances, 4 accurate recoveries, 3/4 duels against opponents and 3/5 excellent aerial duels. Phan Tuan Tai also overcame the prejudice about a player who is tearful and exhausted in the previous period. He not only actively appeared at hot spots in the attack but also regularly appeared in disputes with opponents on the left wing.
A compliment must also be given to Hoang Hen throughout his 60 minutes on the field. From a player considered lazy to defend, he had 2 successful tackles in half the opponent's half, 3 successful interceptions and 4/9 wins against opponents. The striker born in 1994 moved wide, ready to pair with Hoang Duc, Quang Hai into a central midfield trio. When switching, Hoang Hen again joined Hai Long, Dinh Bac to create a formidable "three-pointed spearhead" in the striker.
The 2-0 victory in the second leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 semi-final has affirmed the strength of the Vietnamese team in all aspects. Once again, Mr. Kim Sang-sik's ability to use troops makes fans and opponents take their hats off.
