Vietnam national team coach Kim Sang-sik, from South Korea, holds a press conference after the 2-0 victory over Indonesia in the fourth match of group A, ASEAN Cup 2026, at Pakansari stadium, Bogor, Indonesia on 3/8/2026. Photo: Duc Dong

Vietnam faced considerable pressure after a stagnant performance, drawing 0-0 with Singapore at home in My Dinh stadium during their third match. However, on the evening of 3/8/2026 at Pakansari stadium, the team transformed, thanks to several personnel changes and coach Kim Sang-sik's directive for high pressing from the start.

Within nine minutes, from the 6th to the 15th, Vietnam scored two consecutive goals, courtesy of Van Vi and then Hai Long, from exemplary coordinated plays. An early 2-0 lead gave the team control, both in terms of play style and mentality, while Indonesia struggled, unable to create the necessary breakthroughs.

Midway through the second half, sensing Indonesia was losing stamina and still pushing their formation forward to seek a goal to narrow the gap, coach Kim brought in the duo Xuan Son and Hoang Hen. This adjustment quickly paid off, leading to the decisive 3-0 goal when Hoang Duc threaded a pass for Xuan Son to beat goalkeeper Nadeo in a one-on-one situation.

The 3-0 victory helped Vietnam climb to the top of group A with 7 points from three matches, boasting a superior goal difference (+10) over Singapore, who are second with 7 points and a goal difference of (+3). Indonesia dropped to third place with only 6 points.

Duc Dong - Hieu Luong