BANGKOK -- Three days after an inspired substitution led to a victory that sealed their place in the 2026 ASEAN Championship final, Vietnam coach Kim Sang-Sik pulled off another masterstroke as his side put one hand on the trophy on Saturday -- claiming a 2-0 win over Thailand in the first leg of the decider at Rajamangala Stadium.
Back on Wednesday, it was Rafaelson who came off the bench to score twice in a 2-0 victory over Malaysia that sealed a 4-0 aggregate triumph in the semifinals.
This time playing from the start, Rafaelson was replaced in the 58th minute and it took his replacement -- Nguyễn Hai Long -- four minutes to break the deadlock.
Excellent target-man play by Nguyễn Đình Bắc, who took over Rafaelson's role as the focal point in attack, saw him hold up play from a long ball inside the box before playing a cheeky backheel to find Hai Long -- who latched onto to drill a first-time shot into the bottom corner.
Seven minutes later, another Vietnam substitute would score the second goal to seal the victory on the evening.
With another sweeping counterattack, it was Hai Long who led the charge forward on this occasion before switching play to the opposite flank. Picking up possession, Hêndrio would advance to just inside the area before curling a delightful pass over the opposition defence to find captain Nguyễn Quang Hải -- who had ghosted into the box completely unnoticed to drill a fine volley past Kampol Pathomakkakul at his near post.
Despite Thailand's best efforts after falling two goals behind, they were just unable to reduce the deficit and will now head to Hanoi for Wednesday's second leg at Mỹ Đình National Stadium with a mountain to climb, while Vietnam are now tantalizingly close to a fourth regional crown and a first successful title defence.
More to follow...
