Xuân Son's 'Blonde Hair'

On the evening of March 31st, Nguyen Xuan Son scored two headers to help the Vietnamese national team thrash Malaysia 3-1 in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Before the match kicked off, Xuan Son caught the attention of fans with a short status update, "March 31, 2026," as if promising revenge after the defeat in the first leg at Bukit Jalil. And on the familiar Thien Truong stadium, he not only kept his promise but did it in the most convincing way.

After a closely contested first half, Xuan Son finally made his mark in the 51st minute. Following a combination play on the wing with Do Hoang Hen, he positioned himself perfectly before unleashing a powerful header, doubling Vietnam's lead.

Just eight minutes later, the striker repeated the same scenario. He made a decisive run, headed the ball into the net with precision, and doubled the lead. Both goals bore the hallmarks of a modern center forward: strength, agility, and exceptional effectiveness in aerial duels.

Besides scoring goals, Xuan Son also showed good connection with his teammates. He constantly moved around, held up the ball, and created space, helping the Vietnamese team's attack function smoothly. The understanding between him and Hoang Hen provided many options for approaching the opponent's goal.

Thanks to Xuan Son's brace, the Vietnamese team completely dominated the game. It wasn't until the 77th minute that Malaysia narrowed the score to 1-3 after Endrick successfully converted a penalty following a foul by Doan Van Hau.

For Xuan Son, his brilliant performance at Thien Truong Stadium showed that he remains the greatest hope in the Vietnamese national team's attack. He responded to previous criticisms with an outstanding performance.

In the final minutes, Xuan Son experienced physical problems and had to leave the field, but the mark he left was undeniably significant.

The timely brilliance of the striker from Nam Dinh not only helped the Vietnamese national team settle the score but also affirmed his leading role in the attack.

The 3-1 victory helped coach Kim Sang-sik's team finish the qualifying round at the top of their group with a perfect record of 6 wins in 6 matches, thus securing their ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.

The Thien Truong Stadium was in chaos, with ticketed fans unable to enter. The immense appeal of the match between the Vietnamese and Malaysian national teams meant that many ticketed fans were unable to get in, creating chaos before kick-off.

Source: https://znews.vn/dau-vang-cua-xuan-son-post1639814.html