Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) - Nguyen Hue pedestrian street erupted in celebration on August 19 night as thousands of fans watched Vietnam defeat Malaysia 2-0 in the second leg of the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026 semifinals, completing a 4-0 aggregate victory and booking a place in the final.
Following Vietnam's commanding 2-0 win in the first leg in Malaysia, supporters returned to the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, gathering around giant LED screens to follow the decisive clash at My Dinh National Stadium.
A sea of red flags, jerseys and banners swept across Nguyen Hue as families, young supporters and longtime fans shared the excitement of another major step towards the title.
As the match kicked off, the atmosphere at Nguyen Hue quickly turned tense. Vietnam dominated possession and created several openings in a goalless first half before Nguyen Xuan Son broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute.
A deflected effort from Tien Anh fell perfectly for Xuan Son, who made no mistake from close range to put Vietnam ahead.
Malaysia responded by pushing forward, but Vietnam held firm and remained dangerous on the counterattack.
Xuan Son then delivered the decisive blow late in the match, accelerating past a Malaysian defender and firing home to complete his brace and extinguish any hopes of a comeback.
The final whistle sent Nguyen Hue into a frenzy. Fans waved national flags, chanted and embraced, while foreign visitors joined the celebrations as Vietnam secured its ticket to the tournament's showpiece.
The result also cemented Xuan Son's status as the match’s standout performer after his two-goal display at My Dinh.
Vietnam will face Thailand in the final after Thailand defeated Singapore 4-3 on aggregate./.
