AFC compares Vietnam team's victory with Malaysia and Thailand

"An early own goal secured a 1-0 victory for Vietnam against Nepal in their 2027 Asian Cup qualifying match," commented the AFC website after coach Kim Sang Sik's team narrowly won their rematch against Nepal at Thong Nhat Stadium (Ho Chi Minh City) on the evening of October 14.

The match was delayed by 30 minutes due to heavy rain, which created muddy conditions on the pitch, making it difficult for both teams. However, Vietnam won with a single goal, when Hieu Minh's header caused a Nepalese defender to awkwardly kick the ball into his own net.

AFC compares Vietnam's victory to that of Malaysia and Thailand - 1

The Vietnamese national team celebrates after their 1-0 victory in the rematch against Nepal at Thong Nhat Stadium (Photo: Nam Anh).

"Vietnam took the lead just 5 minutes into the match when defender Suman Shrestha, under immense pressure, scored an own goal."

The home team, who had defeated the South Asian team 3-1 on October 9th, made every effort to find a second goal but had to accept a narrow lead before halftime.

Coach Kim Sang Sik made four substitutions in the second half to bolster his team's attack, but they failed to shine. However, that didn't matter as Vietnam secured a point to keep pace with league leaders Malaysia.

"This victory gives Vietnam 9 points, 3 points behind table leader Malaysia, while Nepal remains at the bottom of the table after losing all 4 matches," AFC commented in the article.

Meanwhile, regarding Malaysia's victory over Laos, the AFC stated that the "Malayan Tigers" had an impressive "comeback," defeating their opponent 5-1 despite conceding the first goal.

AFC compares Vietnam's victory to that of Malaysia and Thailand - 2

Malaysia came from behind to defeat Laos 5-1 (Photo: AFC).

"Laos led 1-0 throughout the first half, but striker Romel Morales led Malaysia to a comeback with a brace in the second half to win 5-1," the AFC emphasized.

Meanwhile, regarding Thailand's victory over Taiwan (China), the AFC stated that the "War Elephants" have a strong chance of qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup finals, having scored six goals against their opponent.

AFC compares Vietnam's victory to that of Malaysia and Thailand - 3

The Thai national team also had a resounding 6-1 victory against Taiwan (China) (Photo: FAT).

"Teerasak Poeiphimai shone with a hat-trick, helping Thailand win 6-1 against Taiwan in the fourth matchday of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. This victory keeps Thailand's hopes alive of advancing to the next round, as the Southeast Asian team now has 9 points after 4 matches," AFC commented.

However, in the Group D match played a few hours later, the Turkmenistan team defeated Sri Lanka 2-1 to reclaim the top spot from Thailand (both teams have 9 points, but Turkmenistan has a better head-to-head record).

Thus, after the fourth round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, the Malaysian national team is the only Southeast Asian team to have won all four matches, scoring 14 goals and conceding only 1.

However, the team is still appealing the FIFA penalty issued on September 26th related to player naturalization fraud and faces the risk of receiving further sanctions from the AFC.

AFC compares Vietnam's victory to that of Malaysia and Thailand - 4