Twelve years ago, Malaysia overturned a first-leg defeat to stun Vietnam at My Dinh. Now they return to Hanoi dreaming of another improbable comeback.
Vietnam return to My Dinh with a 2-0 semifinal lead over Malaysia and one foot in the ASEAN Cup 2026 final. Twelve years ago, they arrived home with a similar advantage against the same opponent - and suffered one of the most painful collapses in their history.
A two-goal cushion. Home advantage. A deeper squad. The confidence of defending champions.
Almost everything points toward Vietnam reaching the ASEAN Cup 2026 final when they host Malaysia at My Dinh Stadium at 8pm on August 19. Almost everything. There is one piece of history that refuses to disappear.
In the 2014 AFF Cup semifinals, the predecessor of today’s ASEAN Cup, Vietnam traveled to Malaysia and won the first leg 2-1. Returning to My Dinh, they appeared to have done the difficult part. Then came the collapse.
Malaysia stunned Vietnam 4-2 in Hanoi, advancing 5-3 on aggregate and leaving behind a defeat that remains painful more than a decade later.
Twelve years on, the two teams meet again in remarkably familiar circumstances.
Vietnam have once again beaten Malaysia away in the first leg of a regional semifinal. This time, the advantage is even greater after a convincing 2-0 victory in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia are once again arriving at My Dinh with nothing to lose.
And they are openly talking about doing it again.
Malaysia turn to the miracle of 2014
Malaysia coach Tan Cheng Hoe admits his team face an enormous challenge.
They are two goals behind. Vietnam are at home. The defending champions have the stronger position and need only a draw - or even a one-goal defeat - to reach the final.
But Tan has refused to surrender. He has instead pointed directly to 2014 as a source of inspiration.
Twelve years ago, Malaysia overturned a first-leg defeat under coach Dollah Salleh. Tan knows the players and coaching staff are entirely different now, but the message remains useful: a semifinal is not finished until the final whistle.
His players appear to have embraced it. Akyar Rashid has said Malaysia are coming to Hanoi to win, avenge the first-leg defeat and claim a place in the final.
The odds may be against them, but that can also make Malaysia dangerous. They no longer have to calculate. They have to attack.
Vietnam have learned the hard way
Kim Sang Sik says Vietnam have analyzed their first-leg weaknesses and are targeting another victory. Photo: V.A
The painful difference between having an advantage and believing the job is already done is something Vietnamese football understands particularly well.
Commentator Quang Huy still remembers the 2014 defeat as one of the national team’s most inexplicable performances.
Vietnam had won away. They had the crowd behind them at My Dinh. Yet a succession of mistakes turned what should have been a night of celebration into a shock elimination.
Quang Huy believes this Vietnam team are different. They are more mature, more resilient and less likely to produce the kind of chaotic performance that once left supporters watching through their fingers. But he has also identified where the danger could come from.
Malaysia caused problems in the first leg with attacks down the wings and into the spaces around Vietnam’s defense. There were moments when only goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang stood between the hosts and a goal.
Le Giang made five saves in Kuala Lumpur and earned a 7.8 rating from Sofascore, the highest among Vietnam’s players. His most dramatic intervention came in the 54th minute.
With Vietnam leading 1-0, Le Giang raced out to deal with a dangerous delivery from Sumareh and was initially shown a straight red card. After a VAR review, the Uzbek referee reversed the decision.
Vietnam escaped a potentially decisive moment and went on to double their lead.
Le Giang has conceded only once throughout ASEAN Cup 2026, in Vietnam’s 3-1 group-stage victory over Cambodia. His form provides considerable reassurance.
Kim Sang Sik, however, does not want his goalkeeper to be required to rescue Vietnam repeatedly.
The coach has acknowledged that Malaysia’s wing attacks created difficulties in Kuala Lumpur and said the problem has been addressed through video analysis and training.
Vietnam are preparing to change. But not to retreat.
Kim Sang Sik does not want to protect 2-0
The simplest approach would be obvious. Vietnam can sit deep, protect their advantage and force Malaysia to find two goals just to level the tie. Kim Sang Sik appears unwilling to settle for that.
The South Korean coach has made clear that Vietnam’s objective at My Dinh is another victory.
That matters because protecting a lead for 90 minutes can sometimes become more dangerous than using it.
Malaysia need an early goal. If they get one, the psychological complexion of the semifinal could change immediately.
The visitors would suddenly believe. My Dinh could become anxious. Vietnam would begin looking at the clock. And the memories of 2014, however distant, would inevitably return. The safer strategy may therefore be the more assertive one.
Malaysia must push players forward. Every extra body they commit to attack creates space behind them. Vietnam do not need to chase the match, but they can wait for those spaces and strike when the opportunity appears.
Xuan Son has already demonstrated how dangerous that can be. His superb goal opened the scoring in Kuala Lumpur before Quang Hai, introduced in the second half, played the ball that resulted in Malaysia scoring an own goal.
At My Dinh, Quang Hai could return to the starting lineup. His ability to retain possession, operate in tight spaces and control the tempo could be especially valuable in a match Vietnam have no need to rush.
Rather than constantly playing forward under pressure, Vietnam can use Quang Hai to slow the game when necessary, escape Malaysia’s press and accelerate when openings appear.
There could also be an adjustment on the left.
Van Vi was unable to train normally on August 18 because of a foot problem and remains doubtful. Even if he recovers in time, playing the entire match could prove difficult.
Van Hau is a possible replacement, offering experience and greater defensive strength in precisely the area where Malaysia are expected to attack.
Elsewhere, Kim has little reason to make sweeping changes.
The backbone of the team remains intact. Hoang Duc and Thanh Long can provide balance in midfield, while Xuan Son and Dinh Bac offer attacking threat.
Dinh Bac enters the match with an additional storyline of his own.
The striker turned 22 on August 19 and currently leads the ASEAN Cup 2026 scoring chart with five goals. He is chasing Xuan Son’s seven-goal haul from the 2024 tournament and has the opportunity to become the highest-scoring Vietnamese player in a single edition of the regional championship.
But he must also remain disciplined.
Dinh Bac received a yellow card in the first leg. Another booking against Malaysia would rule him out of the first leg of the final should Vietnam advance.
It is another reminder of the balance Kim’s players must strike: aggression without recklessness, confidence without complacency.
A test of the champions Vietnam have become
Vietnam are determined to finish the semifinal strongly in front of their home supporters. Photo: VFF
Vietnam do not need a miracle at My Dinh. Malaysia do. That is perhaps the biggest difference between this semifinal and the memories that surround it.
The visitors have injury problems, several key players remain unavailable and some have had to return to their clubs. Vietnam possess greater squad depth and can field a strong side without needing to gamble.
They also have the experience of being champions.
Kim has repeatedly emphasized unity within his squad. During preparations, he has told his players that Vietnam should always appear as one team - 11 players moving together, connected on the pitch.
That collective discipline will be tested when Malaysia attack.
Vietnam cannot afford to become passive simply because the scoreboard is in their favor. Nor do they need to play as though the first-leg advantage does not exist.
The task is somewhere in between.
Control the tempo. Close the spaces Malaysia exploited in Kuala Lumpur. Force the visitors to take risks. Then punish those risks. Above all, do not give Malaysia the moment that makes them believe. An early Malaysian goal could reopen the semifinal.
An early Vietnamese goal could finish it. That is why the second leg is about considerably more than defending a 2-0 advantage. For Kim Sang Sik and his players, it is a test of how far Vietnam have come.
The 2014 team returned to My Dinh with an advantage and watched it disappear.
The 2026 team return as defending champions, with greater depth, a goalkeeper in outstanding form, attacking players capable of deciding games and a coach promising they will not sit back.
Malaysia want history to repeat itself.
Vietnam have the chance to prove that history no longer defines them.
Vietnamnet.vn
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