Vietnam team narrowly defeated Cambodia

Coach Kim Sang-sik surprised everyone with his plan to replace Nguyen Xuan Son - the main striker who had to take a long-term break. Nguyen Quang Hai was at the top of the attack line in the role of "false 9". The 2024 Vietnam Golden Ball winner Nguyen Tien Linh only appeared from the bench.

This intention of the Korean coach did not have clear results in the first half. The Vietnamese team controlled the match but only played at a slow pace, not creating many pressing attacking situations.

It was thanks to a set piece situation with a brilliant performance by Nguyen Hai Long that the home team opened the scoring. The midfielder of Hanoi scored a superb free kick against Cambodia.

Less than 10 minutes later, the Vietnamese team doubled the gap. Nguyen Van Vi - who was brought onto the field in the first half to replace Trieu Viet Hung, seized the opportunity after the opponent's clearance to score, raising the score to 2-0.

In the second half, the Vietnamese team maintained a slow pace of play. Cambodia tried to push up their formation to play offensively. There was a period in the middle of the second half when the Vietnamese team retreated deep into their home field. The away team shortened the score during this period with an excellent long-range shot from Bong Samuel.

After conceding the goal, the Vietnamese team regained control but did not speed up the game. Coach Kim Sang-sik's substitutions in midfield and attack did not create any improvement. The home team had several chances but failed to capitalize on them.

At the end of the match, Cambodia created two dangerous counter-attacks in front of goalkeeper Nguyen Dinh Trieu's goal. However, the Vietnamese team still protected the score 2-1.