ESPN: Xuan Son, the special pillar of the Vietnam national team

Nguyen Xuan Son once again proved his worth at a crucial moment by scoring the opening goal, contributing to Vietnam's 2-0 victory over Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur in the first leg of the ASEAN Championship semifinal.

According to ESPN, before the match, the balance of power tilted clearly in favor of Vietnam. Coach Kim Sang Sik's team entered the semifinals as defending champions, while Malaysia fielded an inexperienced squad, with only four players having more than 20 caps at the start of the tournament.

However, the on-field developments showed that this was not an easy match for the Vietnam team.

Malaysia started with determination, played strongly, and created many difficulties for the visitors' defense. The hosts even had a chance to take the lead in the 35th minute when Paulo Josue shot from very close range, but Patrik Le Giang made an excellent save.

Two minutes later, Daryl was again put in a favorable position after a dribble and cross from G. Pavithran, but hesitation caused the opportunity to slip away.

At a time when Malaysia was building positive momentum, Xuan Son unexpectedly made the difference.

In the 45+5th minute, Truong Tien Anh broke down the right flank and delivered a precise cross. Xuan Son chose a good position, jumped high, and headed the ball dangerously into the Malaysian net.

That was only the third goal of the 29-year-old striker in this ASEAN Championship, but Xuan Son's influence has not diminished.

Since joining the Vietnam national team in 2024, the Brazilian-born striker has scored 14 goals in 14 international matches. At the 2024 ASEAN Championship, Xuan Son scored 8 goals, winning both the top scorer and best player awards.

A broken leg injury in the second leg of the final that year forced Xuan Son to undergo a long period of treatment, but upon his return, he still showed his ability to make a difference in big matches.

Notably, the Vietnam national team no longer relies entirely on Xuan Son's goals.

Coach Kim Sang Sik once let this striker rest in the group stage, while Vietnam still won 3-0 against Indonesia. Xuan Son then came off the bench and scored the final goal.

However, when the match reached a crucial moment, Xuan Son remained the biggest pillar in Vietnam's attack.

The value of this striker is not only in his goal-scoring ability. Xuan Son's physique, strength, and dueling ability help Vietnam maintain a stable target in attack, while also creating more space for Nguyen Hoang Duc or Nguyen Dinh Bac to utilize their creativity and speed.

Against Malaysia, Xuan Son constantly had to go head-to-head with the home side's center-backs. Rodney Celvin lasted only 16 minutes before leaving the field due to injury, forcing Aysar Hadi to come on and immediately face a difficult task.

About a minute after the hour mark, Patrik Le Giang was shown a straight red card by the referee after a collision with Mohamadou Sumareh. However, VAR intervened and the decision was overturned. The red card was rescinded, and the referee also determined that the Vietnamese goalkeeper had not committed a foul.

When Malaysia still hoped with a one-goal deficit, Vietnam delivered the decisive blow.

In the 84th minute, Nguyen Quang Hai made a clever turn near the penalty area and then delivered a pass into the danger zone. In an attempt to intercept, Faris Danish inadvertently sent the ball beyond the reach of goalkeeper Azri Ghani, resulting in an own goal that gave Vietnam a 2-0 lead.

Malaysia played a courageous match, but losing by two goals at home leaves them facing a very difficult task in the second leg at My Dinh.

As for Vietnam, the 2-0 advantage is a favorable result, but the biggest impression once again belongs to Xuan Son.

After all, whenever the Vietnam national team needs a moment to change the situation, the 29-year-old striker still knows how to appear at the right time.