Initially, Dinh Bac and teammate Pham Minh Phuc were scheduled to join U22 Vietnam after 4/12. This was due to their commitments with CAHN Football Club, playing in the AFC Cup and AFF Cup in early December.

However, Dinh Bac expressed his wish to join earlier. CAHN coach Alexandre Polking then approved his and Minh Phuc's early release to play in the match against Laos today.

These two CAHN players combined to create Vietnam's opening goal in the 29th minute. After a quick run down the right flank, defender Minh Phuc delivered a precise cross for Dinh Bac to tap in from close range.

From the start of the match, Dinh Bac stood out, creating Vietnam's best opportunities. This included a header aimed at the far corner, forcing the Laos goalkeeper to dive and push the ball away.

Teammates celebrated Dinh Bac's opening goal (second from right). This was Vietnam's first goal in this year's tournament and Dinh Bac's first at the SEA Games arena.

The lead did not make Vietnam play more defensively; Laos equalized 1-1 just five minutes later.

However, Dinh Bac played the hero, putting his team ahead again in the 60th minute. The Vietnam vice-captain dribbled and fired a low left-footed shot inside the penalty area to score.

Initially, assistant referee Sanjar Shayusupov flagged offside, causing Dinh Bac to prematurely celebrate. He seemed to penalize Nguyen Quoc Viet, who was in an offside position, stood in the ball's path, and could have obstructed the Laos goalkeeper's view.

After a brief consultation, main referee Rustam Lutfullin (Uzbekistan) decided to award the goal to Vietnam. He likely determined that striker Quoc Viet's offside position did not affect the Laos goalkeeper's vision. Thanks to this, Dinh Bac celebrated a brace in his SEA Games opening match.

For the remainder of the match, Vietnam, primarily through Dinh Bac, created several notable chances but failed to score further. These included a free-kick that went wide of the right post and a quick shot that narrowly missed the left post.

In the final minutes, when Khuat Van Khang left the field, the captain's armband was handed over to Dinh Bac.

Dinh Bac began his career at the SLNA academy but was released, moving to Quang Nam. There, he gradually developed and was regarded as a promising forward.

Dinh Bac started to impress under coach Philippe Troussier from late 2023 to early 2024. A highlight was scoring the opening goal for the national team in the 2-4 loss to Japan in the Asian Cup 2023 group stage. However, he also sparked controversy due to injuries and personal life issues, alongside a "U-turn" incident with Ha Noi FC to join CAHN at the start of the 2024-2025 season.

Before the SEA Games 33 campaign, Dinh Bac was trusted and elected vice-captain. At the time, the 21-year-old striker stated: "This is the first time I have been given the responsibility of vice-captain. It is a joy but also a responsibility, I will play my best to help the team win."

Today, he fulfilled that promise.

The 2-1 victory puts Vietnam at the top of Group B. Dinh Bac and his teammates will have an 8-day rest before playing their final group stage match against Malaysia on the afternoon of 11/12.

This is the first time men's football at the SEA Games has been divided into three groups. Only the three group winners and the best-performing runner-up advance to the semifinals.

Dinh Bac's performance in the match against Laos, on 3/12.

Duc Dong - Nhan Dat