Great advantage
The Vietnamese team won 2-0 against Thailand in the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 final right at Rajamangala. It is undeniable that there were periods when Le Giang Patrik's goal shook after attacks from Yotsakorn and his teammates, but in the end, the big advantage is leaning towards coach Kim Sang-sik's team. In the second leg, the Vietnamese team only needs not to lose by a difference of 2 goals or more to definitely win the championship in 90 minutes of official play.
The spirit of Vietnamese players at this time can be described by the word "excited". However, based on his long-term experience in managing football, Vice President of the Vietnam Football Federation cum Head of Delegation Tran Anh Tu wants the team members to remain calm, alert, focused and not be subjective against Thailand.
Coach Kim Sang Sik requested the Vietnamese team to return to the starting line, put aside the 2-0 advantage gained at Rajamangala to fully focus on the second leg. The Korean coach wants his players to maintain the spirit as when they defeated Malaysia in the second leg of the semi-finals, despite creating an advantage from the previous match. The preparation of the Vietnamese team is shown through 2 quality training sessions in Hanoi. All 25 players are in good physical condition, ready for the decisive match.
Nguyen Quang Hai - who is facing the opportunity to win the ASEAN Cup 3 times - is regaining confidence after the super goal against Thailand in the first leg. Le Giang Patrik also has the best mentality to hope to become the rare goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in 7/8 matches throughout the tournament. The trio of naturalized strikers Xuan Son, Hoang Hen, Tai Loc and young player Dinh Bac maintain a comfortable spirit before the decisive match. This is also the time to determine whether Dinh Bac or Xuan Son will become the top scorer of ASEAN Cup 2026.
A series of milestones are waiting for the "Golden Star Warriors" if they beat Thailand. Mr. Kim Sang-sik is facing the opportunity to become the first coach to help Vietnam defeat the Thais in 2 finals, win 2 consecutive championships and win the Southeast Asian Championship for the 4th time. This result also helps Vietnam equalize the number of championships with Singapore and narrow the gap before Thailand - a team with 7 championships.
Caution is not superfluous
However, as Head of Delegation Tran Anh Tu and coach Kim Sang-sik warned, although the Vietnamese team has a great advantage, they must not be subjective against Thailand. Remember, in 2014, it was the Thais who almost paid the price for underestimating Malaysia. They defeated Malaysia with a score of 2-0 in the first leg, but after 60 minutes of the second leg, the Ma people scored 3 goals. If it weren't for the brilliance of Chanathip and Charyl in the final stage of the match, Thailand might not have won the tournament.
That spirit was brought to My Dinh by Thailand itself. Sarach Yooyen, Yotsakorn Burapha, Seksan Ratree or coach Anthony Hudson himself all upheld the determination to aim for an unprecedented comeback at the ASEAN Cup. Southeast Asian tournament history has only witnessed 5 times the team being led in the first leg winning overall after the second leg. However, no team has been able to create a miracle when losing by a 2-goal difference before rematching. Obviously, this is both pressure and motivation for Thailand to expect to create a miracle.
The Golden Temple team has a pretty good preparation before the final. Right after the defeat in the first leg at home, they immediately had two high-intensity training sessions before arriving in Hanoi late on the night of the 24th. 8. Good advance stage helps the Thai team have a light meal at the hotel and quickly get into a resting cycle. Although only having 1 session to get used to My Dinh Stadium, regaining the best physical condition also helps the Thai people have more confidence when competing with the Vietnamese team.
