Vietnam beat Philippines 1-0 in tight FIFA ASEAN Cup opener

Playing on a rain-slicked pitch in Indonesia, head coach Kim Sang-sik's side struggled to build early momentum, particularly with influential midfielder Hoang Duc starting on the bench. 

The Philippines exerted strong physical pressure and came close to opening the scoring in the 23rd minute when Randy Schneider struck the crossbar with a powerful long-range strike. 

However, Vietnam capitalized just two minutes later through a swift transitional play. Le Pham Thanh Long slipped a clever through ball to dynamic new recruit Williams Minh Hoang, whose deflected cross allowed Nguyen Dinh Bac to tap home from close range.

Maintaining their lean advantage into the second period, Vietnam absorbed heavy pressure from a persistent Philippine attack. 

The closing stages were dominated by video review drama, starting in the 77th minute when Philippines defender Jesper Nyholm was initially shown a red card for a tackle on Dang Khoa, only for the referee to rescind the dismissal following a VAR review. 

Seven minutes later, Kenji Nishioka thought he had equalized for the Philippines, but his effort was disallowed for offside after another VAR check.

Goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang produced a crucial point-blank save in stoppage time to deny a powerful Philippines header, ensuring Vietnam held firm through five minutes of added time to clinch the win.

Vietnam will next face Thailand on Tuesday before playing Pakistan on Friday.

The inaugural 14-team FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 runs from September 24 to October 5 across Indonesia and Hong Kong. 

Division 1 in Jakarta and Bandung features Group A (Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore) and Group B (Vietnam, Pakistan, Thailand, Philippines), while Division 2 in Hong Kong hosts Group A (Hong Kong, Laos, Brunei) and Group B (Cambodia, Myanmar, Timor-Leste). 

Group winners advance to the final to compete for a $650,000 top prize—reduced from $1 million due to broadcasting rights challenges.