The Vietnamese team won 2-0 against Malaysia at My Dinh Stadium on the evening of August 19th, thereby winning the right to enter the ASEAN Cup 2026 final. Xuan Son is the name that made the strongest impression when scoring a double after being brought on from the bench.
According to statistics from Sofascore, Xuan Son received 9.1 points and was voted the best player of the match. The striker born in 1997 had 6 shots in his playing time, of which 4 shots were on target and 1 was blocked by the opponent.
Xuan Son's ability to take advantage of opportunities continued to be clearly shown. He successively scored goals at important moments, in which the goal in the 89th minute showed cunning when this striker covered up, planted himself before launching a left-footed shot from a narrow angle.
Two goals against Malaysia continue to help Xuan Son affirm his important role in the Vietnamese national team squad. This striker currently has 16 goals after 15 matches wearing the Vietnamese national team jersey.
Xuan Son's performance also showed the personnel adjustment ability of coach Kim Sang-sik. Bringing this striker on in the second half created a difference for the Vietnamese team's attack, especially in the context that the home team faced many difficulties against the Malaysian defense.
In addition to Xuan Son, some Vietnamese national team players also received high scores after the match. Doan Van Hau and Nguyen Hai Long both received 7.7 points, the highest in the starting group. Nguyen Dinh Bac received 7.4 points after an active performance in attack.
Goalkeeper Le Giang Patrik also had a remarkable match when he kept a clean sheet against Malaysia and was scored 7.3 points. The solidity of this goalkeeper contributed to helping the Vietnamese team maintain their advantage in the second leg semi-final.
On the Malaysian side, goalkeeper Ghani received the highest score with 9.0 points. He had many saves, thereby significantly limiting the number of goals conceded by the away team. Without Ghani's outstanding performance, Malaysia could have suffered a defeat with a larger gap.
Center-back Shamsul is also highly rated with 7.9 points. In a match where he was under pressure from the Vietnamese team, this player still played hard and contributed to helping Malaysia maintain the game for most of the time.
However, the efforts of Malaysia's defense could not prevent Xuan Son from making a difference. The 2-0 victory helped the Vietnamese team overcome their opponent in the semi-finals and continue their journey towards the ASEAN Cup 2026 championship.
