After a period of evenly contested play, Vietnam opened the scoring in the 45+5th minute. From an attacking move down the flank, Truong Tien Anh delivered an accurate cross for Nguyen Xuan Son to rise high and head the ball into the net, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.
The goal allowed Vietnam to enter halftime with the advantage. In the second half, Malaysia pushed forward in search of an equalizer, while Vietnam maintained their shape and looked to launch counter-attacks.
Coach Kim Sang-sik introduced Nguyen Quang Hai, Nguyen Hai Long and Do Hoang Hen in succession to strengthen Vietnam's control and maintain pressure in midfield. The substitutions helped Vietnam maintain a stable formation as Malaysia increased the pressure.
In the 86th minute, Vietnam scored their second goal. Under sustained pressure from the visitors' attack, Malaysian defender Faris Danish, in an attempt to clear the ball, put it into his own net, extending Vietnam's lead to 2-0.
At the other end, Vietnam's defense remained focused throughout the match. Goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang delivered a steady performance, making several accurate saves in dangerous situations and combining well with center-backs Bui Hoang Viet Anh and Nguyen Thanh Chung to keep a clean sheet.
The victory also saw Nguyen Xuan Son take his total number of goals in the knockout stages of the ASEAN Cup to six, surpassing Nguyen Tien Linh's five goals to become the Vietnamese player with the most goals in the tournament's knockout rounds.
After the match, Coach Kim Sang-sik praised his players' fighting spirit while acknowledging that the team still had areas to improve ahead of the second leg. The South Korean coach emphasized that the entire team needed to quickly regain focus and prepare thoroughly for the return match.
With a 2-0 away victory, Vietnam hold a significant advantage over Malaysia. However, a place in the final will only be decided after the second leg of the semi-final, scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on August 19 at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi.
If they maintain their focus and continue to effectively implement their style of play as they did in the first leg, Vietnam have a strong opportunity to achieve their goal of reaching the final and continue their campaign to defend their ASEAN Cup 2026 title.
Nguyen Khang