Cambodia's national football team concluded their ASEAN Cup 2026 campaign with a 1-3 loss to Vietnam at My Dinh Stadium tonight. Despite the defeat, coach Koji Gyotoku expressed satisfaction with his team's performance, attributing the relatively close scoreline to their understanding of Vietnam's play style. "We had a clear strategy and effective tactics for this match. The young players also performed creditably," Gyotoku stated at the post-match press conference.

Vietnam initially took the lead in the 18th minute with a goal from Nguyen Dinh Bac. However, Cambodia showed resilience, and Brazilian-born naturalized player Iago Bento capitalized on a defensive error by the home team to equalize 1-1 in the 71st minute, marking Vietnam's first conceded goal of the tournament. The match remained tight until the 84th minute when an effort from Nguyen Xuan Son led to Vakhim scoring an own goal. Dinh Bac then sealed Vietnam's 3-1 victory in the 89th minute.

Japanese coach Koji Gyotoku of Cambodia attends the post-match press conference after losing 1-3 to Vietnam in the final match of group A ASEAN Cup 2026, at My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi, on 7/8. Photo: Duc Dong

This result marked Cambodia's third defeat in group A, following losses to Singapore (1-2) and Indonesia (1-5). Their only victory came against Timor Leste, the weakest team in the group, with a 3-0 score. Consequently, Cambodia, along with Indonesia and Timor Leste, exited the tournament early. Vietnam and Singapore, on the other hand, advanced to the semifinals.

Coach Gyotoku elaborated on the varying results against different opponents, noting that Cambodia's heavier loss to Indonesia compared to Vietnam was due to a lack of head-to-head experience. "We didn't understand Indonesia because it was my first encounter with them," the Japanese tactician explained. "Conversely, having played against Vietnam in 2025, I had more information and better strategies to counter them." The previous encounter he referenced was a 1-2 friendly loss in March 2025 at Binh Duong Stadium.

Historically, Cambodia has struggled against Vietnam, having lost all 12 matches since 1995, scoring only 9 goals while conceding 51. Despite this, Gyotoku acknowledged Vietnam's overall strength. "Vietnam has few weaknesses. They play well and are contenders for the final," he remarked.

In the 7/8 match at My Dinh, Vietnam opted to keep three naturalized players on the bench due to stomach upset before the match and their absence from the 6/8 training session. In the second half, Nguyen Xuan Son and Nguyen Tai Loc were introduced. According to coach Gyotoku, Son proved particularly challenging for the Cambodian defense. "It's very difficult to limit his threat," he stated.

Vietnam will learn its semifinal opponent after the final match of group B tomorrow, 8/8. They will face the second-placed team from group B, with the first leg away on 16/8 and the return leg at My Dinh Stadium on 19/8.

Duc Dong - Hieu Luong