On the evening of August 16, the Vietnamese team won 2-0 right on Malaysia's field, thereby creating a significant advantage before the second leg semi-final. Xuan Son opened the score in the first half, before Quang Hai contributed his mark in the second goal when his pass caused the Malaysian defender to score an own goal.
Quang Hai was arranged by coach Kim Sang-sik on the bench and only came on in the final minutes of the match. Although he did not directly score, this midfielder still left his mark with a play that created an important turning point.
Hoang Duc shared: "For me, every time Quang Hai appears on the field, he is always something very important to the team. Today Quang Hai had a pass that caused the opponent to score a goal. That goal was greatly contributed by Anh Hai.
In this match, Hoang Duc wore the captain's armband and paired with Le Pham Thanh Long in midfield. The midfielder born in 1998 believes that Quang Hai not only contributes professionally but also plays an important role in maintaining the spirit of the whole team.
Quang Hai is always the captain, always motivating the spirit of brothers in the team both on the field and in real life," Hoang Duc said.
The Vietnamese team had an uncomfortable match in Kuala Lumpur. The field surface using ginger leaf grass made it difficult for the players to control and handle the ball. However, the away team still maintained concentration and made good use of the opportunities they had.
Hoang Duc said: "I and the whole team don't like it, but we have to accept it because the home team is also like that. The Vietnamese team started late but played their best, dedicated themselves to the fans and brought victory back.
One of the notable situations of the match was goalkeeper Le Giang Patrik escaping a red card after the referee checked VAR. Initially, the Vietnamese national team goalkeeper was sent off for a situation of rushing out of the penalty area, but the decision was changed because the Malaysian player was offside before that.
Hoang Duc said he observed the situation from afar: "I saw from afar that Van Vi touched the ball first, the ball hit Sumareh (Malaysia) and then touched Patrik. The referee showed Patrik a red card, but after he checked the VAR and changed the decision, the whole team was very happy.
The 2-0 victory gives the Vietnamese team a great advantage before the second leg. However, the two-goal gap is not absolute guarantee, especially when Malaysia still has 90 minutes left at My Dinh Stadium.
The second leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 semi-final between Vietnam and Malaysia will take place at 8:00 PM on August 19th at My Dinh Stadium. This is a match that decides the ticket to the final.
