At My Dinh Stadium on the evening of 31/7, Vietnam dominated the match, taking 22 shots, but failed to break through Singapore's defense. Conversely, the home team faced several heart-stopping moments and only avoided defeat thanks to the skill of goalkeeper Le Giang Patrik.

Xuan Son expresses regret during the match between Vietnam and Singapore at My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi on the evening of 31/7/2026 at the ASEAN Cup 2026. Photo: Hieu Luong

This marks the first time Vietnam has not won since their 1-1 draw against the Philippines in the ASEAN Cup 2024 group stage on 18/12/2024. Following that match, coach Kim Sang-sik's team secured 15 consecutive victories across all competitions before being stopped by Singapore.

The winning streak began with a 5-0 thrashing of Myanmar in the final group stage match of ASEAN Cup 2024. They then defeated Singapore twice in the semifinals with scores of 2-0 and 3-1. Vietnam subsequently won both legs of the final against Thailand (2-1 and 3-2) to become Southeast Asian champions.

In 2025, the team maintained consistent form, defeating Cambodia in a friendly and winning all 5 matches in the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers against Laos, Nepal, and Malaysia. One of these victories was a 3-0 awarded win due to an opponent's violation of FIFA personnel regulations.

By 2026, Vietnam remained undefeated. The team successively beat Bangladesh 3-0 and Malaysia 3-1 in the Asian Cup qualifiers, won a friendly match against Myanmar 4-0, before crushing Timor Leste 7-0 in their opening match of the ASEAN Cup.

The 15-match winning streak is the longest in the history of the Vietnam national team, surpassing even the successful period under coach Park Hang-seo. During this run, the team scored 53 goals, averaging over 3,5 goals per match, demonstrating their superiority over opponents.

However, this impressive streak ended disappointingly. Vietnam maintained overwhelming possession and continuous pressure but lacked clinical finishing in crucial moments. Numerous opportunities for Nguyen Xuan Son, Dinh Bac, and Thanh Chung went unconverted, visibly frustrating coach Kim.

Beyond ending the winning streak, the draw also concluded another team milestone. This is the first time Vietnam has failed to score since their 0-3 defeat to Russia in a friendly match on 5/9/2024.

Following the loss to Russia, the Vietnam national team scored in 20 consecutive matches across all competitions. That streak extended through matches against Thailand, India, Laos, Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Singapore, Cambodia, Nepal, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Timor Leste, totaling 53 goals.

Nguyen Tai Loc crosses the ball during the match between Vietnam and Singapore at My Dinh Stadium, Hanoi on the evening of 31/7/2026 at the ASEAN Cup 2026. Photo: Ngoc Thanh

Specifically in the ASEAN Cup, this is also the first time the team has failed to score since their 0-1 loss to Thailand in the second leg of the 2022 final on 16/1/2023, when the tournament was still known as the AFF Cup. Before hosting Singapore, the team had scored in 9 consecutive matches in the tournament, including their entire run to winning the ASEAN Cup 2024 and the 7-0 victory over Timor Leste in this year's opening match.

Despite the draw, coach Kim extended a positive statistic. The Korean coach now has 20 consecutive unbeaten matches against Southeast Asian opponents. This achievement reflects the team's stability in the region, though the performance against Singapore also indicated that Vietnam can no longer easily dictate play as in many previous matches.

Another positive aspect is that the defense held firm, thanks to the excellent performance of Le Giang Patrik. The Slovakian-born goalkeeper made important saves, keeping a clean sheet in all three matches he has played for the national team.

The draw also makes the race in Group A more unpredictable. Vietnam still controls its destiny but faces two significant remaining challenges: Indonesia and Cambodia. Specifically, the encounter with Indonesia on the evening of 3/8 could greatly impact the team's chances of advancing.

Xuan Binh