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Vietnam took the lead in the fourth minute of stoppage time when Xuan Son met Truong Tien Anh’s cross with a flying header. The goal came after a largely cagey first half in which both teams struggled to create clear chances on a wet and slippery pitch.

Malaysia had slightly more possession early on but could not seriously test Vietnam goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang. Vietnam adopted a cautious, counterattacking approach, waiting for opportunities to exploit space behind the Malaysian defense.

The hosts nearly equalized in the 35th minute when Patrik cleared a cross into the box, but Daryl Sham fired the resulting chance over the bar.

Vietnam started the second half strongly and nearly doubled their lead in the 47th minute. Tai Loc’s shot was blocked by goalkeeper Azri Ghani before Xuan Son’s follow-up was also stopped.

Vietnam then faced a scare in the 61st minute when Patrik was initially shown a red card after rushing outside his box to challenge for the ball. However, following a VAR review, the referee determined that his tackle had struck teammate Bui Hoang Viet Anh rather than an opponent and overturned the dismissal.

Vietnam continued to defend their lead as Malaysia increased the pressure. The visitors made several substitutions late in the game, bringing on Nguyen Quang Hai and Nguyen Hai Long as they sought to strengthen their midfield.

Their second goal arrived in the 86th minute in fortunate circumstances. Quang Hai received the ball inside the box and attempted to play a through ball, but Malaysia defender Faris Rosli intercepted it. His attempted clearance instead produced a curling ball that flew beyond Ghani and into the net.

Malaysia pushed forward in search of a response and created two late chances, but neither found the target. Hai Long nearly added a third for Vietnam in the fourth minute of stoppage time with a curling effort from outside the box that narrowly missed the goal.

Vietnam will take a 2-0 advantage into the second leg in Hanoi three days later, while Malaysia must overturn the deficit to keep their hopes of reaching the final alive.