Thai media highly praises the Vietnam national team: Xuan Son shines, the path to the final is wide open

Thai outlets lauded the Vietnam team's display following a 2-0 away win over Malaysia in the ASEAN Cup 2026 semi-final first leg, noting that coach Kim Sang Sik's men have secured a major edge in the bid to reach the final.

Siam Sport ran the headline: "Vietnam beats Malaysia 2-0 away, takes advantage in ASEAN Cup 2026 semi-final". The leading Thai sports newspaper commented that the Vietnam team showed efficient use of chances, even though Malaysia exerted more pressure in the first 30 minutes of the match.

The turning point came in the 45+5 minute. From a cross by Truong Tien Anh, Xuan Son leaped to head the ball and opened the scoring. In the 86th minute, pressure from Vietnam forced Faris Danish to awkwardly put the ball into his own net, sealing a 2-0 victory.

Siam Sport stated that this result gives Vietnam a "massive advantage" ahead of the return leg at My Dinh Stadium on August 19.

TrueVisions also praised coach Kim Sang Sik's team, describing Vietnam's display as "excellent" in defeating Malaysia on their home ground. The Thai sports site particularly highlighted Xuan Son's beautiful header, and noted that although Malaysia tried to increase pressure in the second half, they lacked sharpness in decisive moments.

Thairath also quickly updated Vietnam's victory and emphasized that Malaysia suffered a home defeat in the first leg of the semi-final.

The way Thai media reported shows that Xuan Son continues to be a name receiving a lot of attention. The Vietnam striker did not need many opportunities but still made a difference with an important goal just before halftime.

The 2-0 victory in Kuala Lumpur gives Vietnam a great advantage as they return to My Dinh Stadium. If they protect the advantage in the second leg, coach Kim Sang Sik's team will secure a place in the final and continue their journey to defend the ASEAN Championship title.

After the convincing 2-0 win over Malaysia in the ASEAN Cup 2026 semi-final first leg, the Vietnam team received an additional bonus of 1.5 billion VND from the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF).

Since the start of the ASEAN Cup 2026, the Vietnam team has received a total of 3.5 billion VND in bonuses from VFF alone.

According to the plan, at 12:45 on August 17, coach Kim Sang Sik's team will leave Malaysia to return to Vietnam. The travel time is scheduled quite close to the first leg, so the team needs to quickly return to their best condition for the rematch just two days later.

The Malaysia team will also take a flight to Vietnam at 12:30 on August 17.