Vietnam was crowned the well-deserved champions of the ASEAN Cup final after beating Thailand 3-2 in the second leg, securing their third title with a 5-3 aggregate score at Thailand's home ground, Rajamangala stadium, on the evening of January 5.
A highly emotional and dramatic match unfolded at Thailand's Rajamangala Stadium as the Vietnamese players started strong and took a 1-0 lead, with striker Tuan Hai scoring in the 8th minute through a brilliant move, lifting the ball over the head of the Thai goalkeeper to put Vietnam ahead 3-1 on aggregate.
With a 2-1 advantage from the first leg, the Vietnamese national team approached the second leg in Thailand with great caution. However, Vietnam's advantage lasted only until the 28th minute, when Davis of Thailand scored an impressive long-range strike to equalize 1-1 for Thailand.
However, Vietnam continued to face a disadvantage when, in the 32nd minute, naturalized striker Xuan Son made an attempt to dribble the ball and delivered a cross into the penalty area, but no teammates followed the ball. After this effort, Xuan Son suffered a serious injury. The first half ended with a 1-1 scoreline, giving Vietnam a 3-2 aggregate lead.
In the second half, Thailand dominated the game and scored a controversial goal by Supachok in the 64th minute. However, from the 74th minute, Thailand was down to 10 players after Pomphun received his second yellow card.
In the 82nd minute of the match, Tuan Hai delivered a cross that led to Hemviboon's own goal, helping Vietnam's national team equalize at 2-2 and take a 4-3 lead after two legs.
In the final minutes of the match, Thailand pushed hard to find a goal but failed. Not only that, Thailand conceded another goal in the 90+20 minute by Hai Long, resulting in a 2-3 loss and a final score of 3-5, giving Vietnam their third ASEAN Cup title in history.
Right after the conclusion of the second-leg final of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024, with the impressive victory belonging to the Vietnam national football team, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent a letter of commendation to the squad.
In the letter, the Government chief warmly congratulated the entire coaching staff and football team on their convincing victory in both the first and second legs of the final, leading Vietnam to officially to secure the ASEAN Cup 2024 championship.
On the same day, to promptly encourage and motivate the players and coaching staff, the Hanoi People’s Committee decided to award the Vietnamese football team a bonus of VND2 billion following their triumphant AFF Cup 2024 victory against Thailand.
This decision once again affirms Hanoi city's commitment to spreading the spirit and love for football among its people, as well as its contribution to cultural, social, and sports activities across the country.
This is the third time the Vietnam men's football team has won the ASEAN Cup 2024 (formerly the Tiger Cup, AFF Cup). With this third championship title, the Vietnam team continues to assert its football dominance in Southeast Asia.
VOV
