Asian Cup 2027: With a victory, the Vietnam national team continues their quest for qualification

In the final qualifying round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, Vietnam is placed in Group F alongside Laos, Malaysia, and Nepal. The match between Nepal and Vietnam was a second leg "rematch," with Nepal choosing Thong Nhat Stadium as their home ground.

Previously, after three first-leg matches, Nepal suffered defeats against Malaysia (0-2), Laos (1-2), and Vietnam (1-3), currently ranking last in the group.

As for Vietnam, the team currently has 6 points from two wins against Laos and Nepal, and one loss to Malaysia. In the second leg, although officially the "away" team, playing at Thong Nhat Stadium gives coach Kim Sang Sik’s squad extra motivation from the home crowd to continue showing resilience and determination.

Due to weather conditions in Ho Chi Minh City, the organizers decided to delay the match start by 30 minutes from the original schedule. Playing on a wet pitch affected the players’ mobility and ball control for both Vietnam and Nepal.

In the 6th minute, from a left-side corner kick, defender Hieu Minh leapt high to head the ball, causing Nepal’s defender Suman Shrestha to mistakenly score an own goal, giving Vietnam an early 1-0 lead. After the opening goal, the "home" team maintained strong pressure. Tien Linh’s shot hit the crossbar in the 11th minute, Thanh Nhan’s strike hit the post in the 31st minute, while Van Vi and Tien Anh repeatedly threatened the opposition goal. The first half ended with Vietnam leading 1-0.

In the second half, despite the slippery field, Vietnam continued to control the game, though not as dominantly as in the first half, creating several more dangerous chances. Substitutes Dinh Bac, Hai Long, and Gia Hung all made significant impacts. Dinh Bac’s shot forced a difficult save from the Nepal goalkeeper, while Duc Chien and Gia Hung also tested the opponent’s goal repeatedly. In the 74th minute, Quang Vinh intercepted the ball and passed to Dinh Bac for a shot that again struck the Nepal goalpost and rebounded out.

At the end of the match, Vietnam secured a 1-0 victory over Nepal, maintaining their pursuit of a spot in the final round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup alongside Malaysia.

Meanwhile, in the other Group F match at the same time, Malaysia came from behind to defeat Laos 5-1 after initially trailing 0-1, continuing to lead the group.

It is expected that on November 18, the Vietnam team will travel to play an away match against Laos.