Lê Giang Patrik and the breathtaking moment: 'VAR saved me'

Lê Giang Patrik went through one of the most intense moments of the ASEAN Championship 2026 semifinal first leg: initially receiving a red card from the referee, the Vietnam goalkeeper was able to stay on the pitch after VAR review. He then contributed to a clean sheet in the 2-0 win against Malaysia.

In the 61st minute at Kuala Lumpur Stadium, Lê Giang Patrik rushed out of the box during a Malaysian attack. After colliding with Sumareh, the referee immediately showed a red card to the Vietnam goalkeeper.

At that time, Vietnam was leading 1-0 but under heavy pressure from Malaysia. If Lê Giang Patrik had been sent off, the match situation could have changed completely.

After the match, Vietnam's number one goalkeeper admitted he had gone through very tense moments. According to Lê Giang Patrik, the referee approached, apologized, and then informed him he would be shown a red card. However, VAR later requested a review of the situation.

After directly reviewing the video footage, the referee canceled the decision to send off the player. "VAR saved me," Lê Giang Patrik said when recalling this special moment.

The referee's change of decision allowed Vietnam to continue playing with a full 11 players, and Lê Giang Patrik remained in goal to help his teammates protect their advantage.

Not only was he lucky to escape a red card, but Lê Giang Patrik also had a memorable performance in terms of skill.

In the first half, when Malaysia applied heavy pressure, the goalkeeper of Cong An TP.HCM made a crucial reflex save against Paulo Josue's close-range shot in the 35th minute. In the 90+2 minute, he made another save, helping to secure the victory and keep a clean sheet for Vietnam.

Lê Giang Patrik considered the 2-0 victory even more significant as Vietnam had to play away, under great pressure from Malaysia and the home crowd. He believed Malaysia caused many difficulties, but the opening goal at the end of the first half boosted Vietnam's confidence.

Xuan Son broke the deadlock in the 45+5 minute with a header from Truong Tien Anh's cross. In the 86th minute, Quang Hai's attempt to send the ball into the box led to Faris Danish's own goal, sealing Vietnam's 2-0 victory.

"Once again we won. This was a very tough opponent, and especially Vietnam had to play away. The pressure from Malaysian fans was enormous. Malaysia played well and constantly put pressure on us, but fortunately Vietnam scored a goal at the end of the first half.

With the 2-0 victory, that's a big advantage for Vietnam. However, we have only completed half the journey. Vietnam needs to maintain focus, determination, and bring joy to the many home fans."

With an outstanding performance and crucial saves, goalkeeper Lê Giang Patrik was rated 7.8 by Sofascore, the highest in the Vietnam vs. Malaysia match.

The result in Kuala Lumpur is an important advantage but does not guarantee a ticket to the final. Vietnam's goalkeeper emphasized that the team has only completed half the task and needs to maintain focus in the second leg.

For Lê Giang Patrik, the match against Malaysia will certainly leave a special memory. From the moment he thought he would have to leave the field due to a red card to continuing to stand in goal and keeping a clean sheet, the goalkeeper of Cong An TP.HCM experienced an emotional evening in Malaysia.