Xuan Son scored twice as Vietnam beat Malaysia 2-0 in the second leg of their semifinal at My Dinh Stadium on Wednesday, taking his tournament tally to five goals. He is now level with teammate Nguyen Dinh Bac at the top of the ASEAN Cup 2026 scoring chart.
“Has he only scored five goals in this tournament?” Kim said with a smile when asked about the Brazil-born striker’s performance at the post-match press conference. “Xuan Son really should have more. I hope he scores another three against Thailand in the final.”
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Coach Kim Sang-sik hands a ball to striker Nguyen Xuan Son as the two attend a press conference after Vietnam’s 2-0 victory over Malaysia in the 2026 ASEAN semifinals in My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi, Aug. 19, 2026. Photo by Read/Duc Dong |
Kim also welcomed the competition between Xuan Son and Dinh Bac, another Vietnamese star forward, for goals, saying it could motivate the entire team.
“I see both Dinh Bac and Xuan Son performing well and always giving their all on the pitch. The same applies to players in other positions. I consider this healthy competition that drives us toward victory in the final,” he said.
Wednesday’s match also marked Dinh Bac’s 22nd birthday. The forward started and played the full 90 minutes but failed to score.
Kim said Dinh Bac’s workload had nothing to do with his birthday.
“We already celebrated Dinh Bac’s birthday after lunch, so keeping him on the pitch until the end wasn’t because of the occasion,” he said. “I kept him on because he is young, energetic and physically fit, and I may do the same in upcoming matches.”
Kim added that Dinh Bac still needs to improve his defensive work. “He needs to run more to contribute defensively and must constantly strive to reach a higher level of competition,” the coach said.
Highlights of Vietnam’s 2-0 victory over Malaysia in the 2026 ASEAN semifinal second leg in My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi, Aug. 19, 2026
Vietnam had also beaten Malaysia 2-0 in the semifinal first leg in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 16, but Kim acknowledged that his team had struggled in that match. Vietnam took the lead through Xuan Son in first-half stoppage time before Faris Danish’s own goal doubled the advantage in the second half.
For the return leg, Kim made five changes to his starting lineup across all three lines and switched from a 3-4-3 to a 3-5-2, with Quang Hai and Hai Long operating in midfield.
The changes helped Vietnam produce a more dominant performance, even though they had to wait until the 62nd minute for the breakthrough. According to FotMob, Vietnam had 48% possession but registered 26 shots to Malaysia’s eight, with 10 on target compared with the opponent’ four. Vietnam also recorded five scoring chances to Malaysia’s one and an expected-goals figure of 2.57 to 0.44.
Xuan Son scored his second goal in the 89th minute to seal the victory.
“Vietnam had only one day of rest after the first leg. Beyond tactical considerations, I made five changes to ensure the team was in the best possible physical condition today,” Kim said. “Compared with the first leg, Vietnam certainly played much better. The squad addressed the shortcomings from three days ago.”