Vietnam national team still has 'Son' on their side

20/11/2025 06:50:00 GameGladiator

After nearly a year without playing, Nguyễn Xuân Son scored on his comeback day with the Vietnam national team. His penalty goal combined with Tuấn Hải’s masterpiece helped Vietnam keep their hopes alive for qualification to the 2027 Asian Cup finals.

The inspiration brought by Nguyễn Xuân Son

Vietnam only fulfilled half of their fans’ hopes for a "win and a beautiful win" against Laos. They took all 3 points, but it’s hard to say Coach Kim Sang Sik’s team left a satisfying impression.

Given the match’s importance, Coach Kim Sang Sik deployed his strongest squad against a Laos team with many young players. However, Vietnam struggled against the disciplined and tight defensive tactics of their opponent, despite good control of the game. Laos played with many players in front of their penalty area, making it difficult for Vietnam. As a result, Vietnam’s passing quality was low. This was similar to their previous match versus Nepal.

In fact, Vietnam did have chances in the first half. Yet, the main takeaway was regret as they failed to score in the first 45 minutes.

Vietnam’s attacking moves appeared rushed, disorganized, and lacked fluidity, which was easily noticeable. Experts and fans have yet to see an attractive attacking style, strong game control, or smooth coordination between lines.

Vietnam’s wing advances, quick exchanges, and attempts to open spaces in the opponent’s central area were unclear. Their attacking methods were simple, not diverse, and lacked connection. The main concern remains the offensive efficiency, especially as key players like Quang Hải and Tiến Linh seem to have plateaued.

Nguyễn Xuân Son’s presence on the pitch brought a fresh, positive energy through his proactive harmony and quick adaptation to the team’s rhythm.

As if the nearly one-year absence never happened, Xuân Son sent a message of willpower, resilience, bravery to overcome challenges, and a passionate return from one of Vietnam’s top scorers.

Vietnam won as expected against Laos, but their style was not really convincing. Photo: VFF

The penalty goal not only broke the deadlock but also made it easier for Vietnam to play the rest of the match. Then, in a more relaxed situation, Tuấn Hải scored a stunning goal to seal the victory on Laos’s soil.

Preparing to face Malaysia

Objectively, Vietnam’s performance was not fully convincing and left many tactical concerns. Coach Kim Sang Sik and his players still have much to do before hosting Malaysia in the final Asian Cup qualifier.

Vietnam’s path to the 2027 Asian Cup finals became much harder after direct rival Malaysia narrowly won 1-0 against Nepal in the fifth round of Group F. This result strengthened Malaysia’s top spot, creating a 3-point gap over Kim Sang Sik’s team.

To turn things around and surpass Malaysia, Vietnam must meet a very strict condition in the last qualifying match.

They must beat Malaysia by a large margin: having lost 0-4 in the first leg at Bukit Jalil, Vietnam must win by at least 4 goals. Head-to-head results are prioritized if both teams tie on points. This is a very tough challenge requiring full concentration and peak form from the players.

Besides on-field efforts, another factor that could influence the group’s outcome is the case of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) facing FIFA sanctions. Malaysia risks a 0-3 forfeit loss in two matches against Nepal and Vietnam due to allegations of fielding 7 naturalized players illegally.

However, this is still a possibility, not a certainty. Therefore, Vietnam’s immediate focus is to fully prepare for the match against Malaysia in March next year rather than waiting on FIFA’s ruling.

Comment (0)