Goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang was shown a red card in the 63rd minute, and fellow goalkeeper Dang Van Lam began preparing for a substitution. However, after VAR intervention, the referee rescinded the card for Le Giang in Vietnam's 2-0 victory over Malaysia in the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 semifinals on the evening of 16/8 at the Kuala Lumpur stadium. *Photo: Duc Dong*

In the 62nd minute, forward Sumareh broke free to face Vietnam's goal. Defender Van Vi chased and cleared the ball just before Le Giang rushed out, colliding with the opposing player. Uzbek referee Rustam immediately issued a red card to Le Giang, believing he had used his hand to block the ball outside the penalty area. Teammates rushed to console the goalkeeper, while in the technical area, Dang Van Lam rose from his seat, holding his gloves, ready to enter the game.

However, after receiving a signal from VAR, referee Rustam reviewed the incident on the monitor and decided to rescind Le Giang's red card. "It was a sensitive situation, it happened very quickly", Le Giang recounted after the match. "The referee approached me and said, 'Sorry, I have to give you a red card.' But thank goodness, VAR technology saved me this time. I am grateful for not being sent off so I could continue to play and secure the win for the team".

Goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang shook hands with the referee and received congratulations from Bui Hoang Viet Anh after his red card was rescinded during Vietnam's 2-0 victory over Malaysia in the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 semifinals, on the evening of 16/8 at the Kuala Lumpur stadium, Malaysia. *Photo: Duc Dong*

Beyond the sensitive incident of rushing out to clear the ball, Le Giang had a brilliant performance with numerous saves. He received the highest rating for the Vietnam national team with a score of 7,8.

Speaking about the match, Le Giang stated that Vietnam faced challenges playing away, but the entire team worked hard to achieve a deserved result. "Once again, we won", he said enthusiastically. "The opponent was tough and applied constant pressure, but Vietnam stood firm and scored an opening goal at the end of the first half. In the second half, we added another fortunate goal to secure a favorable result".

The 2-0 victory gives Le Giang and his teammates a significant advantage heading into the return leg at My Dinh on the evening of 19/8. Despite this, the naturalized goalkeeper remains cautious, urging his teammates to maintain their focus. "Clearly, we achieved an excellent result before returning home", he added. "But this is only half the journey; we hope to recover quickly and prepare well for the second leg. The team needs to maintain maximum concentration for the match; we want to keep winning for our home fans".

Le Giang was born in 1992 in Slovakia. He developed his football skills in Europe, moving to Vietnam in 2023 to play for Cong an Ha Noi Club, then CLB TP HCM, and currently Cong an TP HCM. In May, he received Vietnamese citizenship and was called up to the national team for the first time for the ASEAN Cup 2026. He has started 5 matches, keeping 4 clean sheets, conceding only against Cambodia.

The team will fly back to Ha Noi at 12h40 this afternoon, then have two days to prepare before facing Malaysia again.

Duc Dong