Vietnam defeats Pakistan 4-2 to secure third-place playoff spot

Vietnam secured a 4-2 comeback victory against Pakistan in their final Group B match of the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. Despite trailing 0-1 in the first half due to a goal by Mohib Ullah, Vietnam responded strongly in the second half. Nguyen Hai Long equalized in the 50th minute, followed by goals from Nguyen Hoang Duc and Nguyen Dinh Bac to take a 3-1 lead. Although Pakistan narrowed the gap to 3-2 in the 88th minute, Minh Hoang scored in stoppage time to finalize the score.

With this result, Vietnam finished second in Group B, qualifying for the third-place playoff against Malaysia. In Group B, Thailand secured the top spot despite a 1-2 loss to the Philippines. Meanwhile, in Group A, Indonesia and Malaysia both advanced to the final, with Indonesia taking the top seed after a dominant performance.

Vietnam coach Kim Sang Sik noted that while the team missed out on the final following a previous loss to Thailand, the match served as an opportunity for player growth and addressing tactical issues.