Vietnam wins the ASEAN Cup 2024.

The second leg of the final between hosts Thailand and Vietnam took place on the evening of January 5th at the Rajamangala Stadium.

In the first leg of the final, the Vietnamese team impressively defeated Thailand 2-1. This gives coach Kim Sang-sik's team a slight advantage. The Vietnamese team is eager to make history once again right here at the Rajamangala Stadium.

However, this will not be easy, because returning to their home ground and cheered on by over 40,000 fans at the Rajamangala Stadium, Thailand promises to show a very different face, aiming to close the gap after the first leg and win the Southeast Asian championship for the third consecutive time.

As expected, as soon as the opening whistle blew, the Thai players quickly took control of the game and put pressure on the Vietnamese team's half of the field.

To limit the opponent's strength, coach Kim Sang-sik chose a defensive counter-attacking strategy. And that proved effective, as the Vietnamese team opened the scoring in the 8th minute of the match.

From a free kick in the middle of the field, Xuan Manh lofted the ball into the Thai penalty area. Khemdee, marking Xuan Son, failed to intercept, creating an opportunity for Tuan Hai to slip past the opposing player and chip the ball over goalkeeper Patiwat to score in his first start for Vietnam at the ASEAN Cup 2024.

After conceding a goal, the Thai team pushed forward to find an equalizer. Under immense pressure from the home team, Doan Ngoc Tan made a mistake, allowing Thailand to equalize in the 28th minute of the match.

Midfielder Ngoc Tan made a misplaced pass near his own penalty area, creating an assist for Ben Davis to unleash a superb curling shot with his right foot, sending the ball into the bottom corner, leaving Dinh Trieu helpless.

After the equalizer, the Thai players' spirits soared, and the home team put immense pressure on the Vietnamese team's half. However, with a composed playing style, coach Kim Sang-sik's players managed to maintain the 1-1 scoreline in the first 45 minutes.

In the second half, Thailand continued to put immense pressure on the visitors' half. In the 56th minute, the Vietnamese defense was thrown into disarray after an attack from the opponent. A series of mishandlings followed, but fortunately, the ball did not go into the net thanks to Thanh Chung's save.

However, in the 64th minute, the Thai team scored a goal in a rather unsportsmanlike manner. Prior to that, a Vietnamese player intentionally shot the ball out of bounds to allow medical attention to Hoang Duc. However, instead of returning the ball in a fair-play manner, Thailand maintained possession and pressured the Vietnamese team, and Supachok unleashed a shot from approximately 30 meters out, sending the ball into the far corner and increasing the score to 2-1. The South Korean referee had to spend several minutes explaining to both teams the validity of the goal, stating it was simply not aesthetically pleasing.

However, after scoring, the Thai team faced a major disadvantage when they were reduced to ten men. Weerathep pulled Quang Hai's shirt while our captain was organizing a counter-attack. The referee decisively issued a second yellow card to the player, meaning Vietnam had a numerical advantage.

Having gained the advantage, Vietnam launched several dangerous counter-attacks towards the opponent's goal.

In the 82nd minute, Quang Hai dribbled past a defender in the midfield, then threaded the ball down the left side of the penalty area for Tuan Hai to curl a shot towards the far corner. The ball rolled towards the goal, but center-back Pansa attempted to clear it, inadvertently putting it into his own net. The score in the second leg was 2-2, and Vietnam still led 4-3 overall.

In the final minutes, Thailand pushed their entire team forward in attack but suffered a bitter defeat. From a corner kick, Vietnam cleared the ball away, and Thailand immediately launched a counter-attack. The Thai goalkeeper had advanced to participate in the play, leaving the goal completely empty. Hai Long confidently struck a low shot from midfield, the ball slowly rolling into the net amidst the fervent cheers of tens of millions of Vietnamese people.

Winning 5-3 over two legs, the Vietnamese national team officially secured the championship title of the 2024 ASEAN Cup.

In addition, the Golden Star Warriors also swept the tournament's top awards, including: Best Player (Xuan Son), Top Scorer (Xuan Son), and Best Goalkeeper (Dinh Trieu).