Former striker Lê Công Vinh: 'Vietnam's opponents are not just Thailand'

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26/02/2026 17:04:20 无名者

Starting with the hopeless tears of his teenage years to the overwhelming shouts of joy in triumphant moments, the Southeast Asian Championship, currently recognized as the ASEAN Hyundai Cup, guided Vietnam's 2008 winning forward, Lê Công Vinh, along a deeply fluctuating emotional path across the competition's three-decade timeline.

Best known for the decisive goal in stoppage time that secured Vietnam's first regional title, Công Vinh acknowledges that the fateful header at Mỹ Đình Stadium against Thailand 18 years ago was a pivotal and relieving moment in his life.

"In 1998, when Vietnam lost to Singapore in the final, I was just 13 years old. I watched that match on TV and cried a lot," the former striker recalled the painful 0-1 defeat of his team against Singapore right in Hanoi.

In 2008, I was present in the final match against Thailand. Honestly, we were under a lot of pressure, especially playing on Thailand's home ground. The entire nation was waiting for that moment.

But in the first leg, we played very well and won 2-1 in Bangkok. In the return leg, I scored in the final minutes of the match. At that moment, I couldn't hear anything. My hands were shaking. For a few seconds, everything went dark.

About 10 seconds later, I realized what had happened. I couldn't believe that the Vietnamese national team had become champions. It was very meaningful and unforgettable.

Until now, even though the Vietnamese national team has won many other titles, that championship remains the most wonderful one."

Công Vinh was precisely the difference between Vietnam and Thailand, the 2007 tournament runners-up across the two-legged final, as he scored the second goal for the home team in the 2-1 first-leg victory in Bangkok.

Four days later, the Song Lam Nghe An forward continued to create magic during stoppage time.

Thailand took the lead in the return leg thanks to a 21st-minute header by Teerasil Dangda, and the final seemed headed for extra time when Minh Phương took a free kick from the left flank, sending the ball into the penalty area.

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