Vietnam secured their second title after defeating Malaysia by a 3–2 aggregate score in the two-legged final.[6]
Background
Based on previous records, Malaysia had reached the AFF Championship final three times (1996, 2010 and 2014) while Vietnam had reached the AFF Championship final two times (1998 and 2008). The two sides last met on 23 November 2016 in the group stage of the previous 2016 AFF Championship. Based on the latest rankings released by FIFA World Rankings on 29 November 2018, Malaysia was ranked 167 while Vietnam ranked 100.[7] Both teams had already won their first trophy of the tournament, with Vietnam winning in 2008 and Malaysia in 2010.[8]
The two stadiums chosen to host the 2018 AFF Championship finals were the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the Mỹ Đình National Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam. The first leg was held at the Bukit Jalil Stadium, which opened on 1 January 1998 and was originally built for the 1998 Commonwealth Games. With a capacity of over 87,000, it is one of the largest stadiums in Southeast Asia and is the home ground of the Malaysian national football team. Since its inception, Bukit Jalil has hosted numerous international and regional sporting events, including the SEA Games, ASEAN Championship and FIFA World Cup qualification. The second leg match was held at My Dinh National Stadium, which was inaugurated in September 2003 to serve the 22nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 22) held in Vietnam. With a capacity of about 40,000 spectators, the stadium serves as a key national sports venue and is the home ground of the Vietnam national football team. My Dinh has hosted many important international matches, multi-sport events as well as major cultural activities.
Both Malaysia and Vietnam were drawn into Group A of the 2018 AFF Championship. After winning three and drawing one in group matches, Vietnam finished first in the group. Malaysia finished second in the group to progress to the knockout phase of the tournament. Vietnam's first match victory was against Laos with a score of 3–0. From there, they continue the path by beating Malaysia by 2–0 and drawing 0–0 with Myanmar before defeating Cambodia by 3–0. Vietnam progressed to the semi-finals to face Group B runner-up of the Philippines. In the first-leg in Bacolod, Vietnam won 2–1 before winning the second-leg in Hanoi by another similar scores of 2–1 with total aggregate of 4–2. Malaysia's won their first match against Cambodia by 1–0 before beating Laos by 3–1. Despite losing to Vietnam by 0–2, they managed to qualify to semi-finals after beating Myanmar by 3–0. In the semi-finals, Malaysia face Group B winner as well the defending champion of the tournament of Thailand. In the first-leg in Kuala Lumpur, they drew 0–0 before drawing 2–2 in the second-leg in Bangkok with a similar total aggregate of 2–2, qualifying through the away goals rule.
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
Before the first leg match against Vietnam, Malaysia is facing problems in terms of personnel when Safawi Rasid cannot complete the training program and is uncertain about his ability to play. Previously, Malaysia suffered a heavy loss when Syahmi Safari was suspended due to a red card in the semi-final match against Thailand, while three other players, Aidil Zafuan, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha and Syazwan Andik, are still uncertain about their ability to play due to injury. Meanwhile, Vietnam still ensures the best physical condition of the players.[9]
Korean attention
Before the final, the Korean public expressed considerable interest in the Vietnamese team due to the influence of coach Park Hang-seo, who is leading the team and has been widely reported by the Korean media. Both matches attracted large audiences and were considered the most notable sporting events in each country in 2018.[10]
A "street storming" of people in Hanoi capital after the second leg match.
The 3–2 aggregate victory over Malaysia over two legs of the final helped the Vietnamese team win the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup, marking the second time in history that the country's national football team has won the highest position in the regional tournament, after the first time in 2008. The Vietnamese public was very happy with the team's achievement, especially in the context that Vietnamese football had achieved many impressive achievements in 2018, in which the U-23 team of this country won the runner-up position at the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship held at the beginning of the year, and achieved fourth place overall in the men's football event of the 2018 Asian Games. In addition, before the tournament started, the team received many expectations from Vietnamese football fans after those achievements.[19]
With an unbeaten record throughout the tournament, including 6 wins and 2 draws, scoring 15 goals and conceding only 4, Vietnam is considered the team with the most stable and effective performance in the tournament.[20] Midfielder Nguyễn Quang Hải, one of the team's outstanding players, was honored with two individual titles: Best Player of the Final Second Leg and Best Player of the Tournament.[21] Immediately after the second leg of the final, many "street storming" of victory celebrations broke out in major locations and cities in Vietnam such as Hanoi, Haiphong, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and many other localities. The central streets were crowded with people and red flags with yellow stars, creating a vibrant and exciting atmosphere across the country.[22] The team's victory also attracted great attention from Vietnamese leaders. Immediately after the news of the team's victory was reported by Vietnamese state media, Prime MinisterNguyễn Xuân Phúc, Deputy Prime MinistersVương Đình Huệ and Vũ Đức Đam, and Former President Trương Tấn Sang sent their congratulations to the entire team.[23][24] During the meeting at the Government Office afterwards, the entire coaching staff and players received many compliments from state leaders and were awarded by many domestic agencies, businesses and social organizations.[23][25] The Vietnamese team was also honored to receive the First Class Labor Medal from the Government for this achievement.[26]
This match also attracted much attention in Korea, where coach Park Hang-seo worked for many years before coming to Vietnam. Coach Park Hang-seo's influence has prompted the country's SBS Television to buy the broadcasting rights for the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup, but only broadcast matches involving the Vietnamese team.[27] As the team won consecutively and advanced to the final, the viewership of Vietnam's matches on this channel suddenly increased sharply, forcing the station to change its broadcast schedule by temporarily suspending the TV series broadcast schedule to broadcast the final match live. The first leg recorded an average rating of 4.706%, peaking at 7% in the second half, while the second leg reached a record high of 16.31%, becoming the highest-rated program on this station since 2010.[28] After Vietnam officially won the championship, South Korean PresidentMoon Jae-in sent his congratulations to the team through a post on Facebook.[29] Many artists and celebrities in Korea also sent their congratulations to the Vietnamese players.[30] South Korean media have called Park’s achievement a “miracle,” highlighting his influence on regional football. Some articles have likened the AFF Championship to the “World Cup of Southeast Asia,” while also calling Park “Rice Noodle Hiddink”, referring to coach Guus Hiddink, who led the Korean team to the semi-finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.[31] Many newspapers also described the victory of the Vietnamese team as a "perfect victory" when the team did not lose any matches throughout the tournament.[31]
For Malaysia, this defeat was considered by domestic media to be "hard to swallow", especially in the context that they had lost to Vietnam in the group stage.[32] After the second leg match in Hanoi, many Malaysian players refused to be interviewed, while the few who spoke to the press could not hide their disappointment.[32] Several Malaysian newspapers published headlines expressing their grief, including “Broken Hearts,” reflecting the regret of the country’s fans.[32] Another article devoted much of its content to praising the victory of the Vietnamese team, claiming that the “Golden Dragons” had surpassed the “Tigers” to win the tournament.[32] However, some fans in this country were very angry and considered Nguyen Anh Duc's goal in the second leg match "invalid", claiming that this player was in an offside position.[33]
↑ "Men's ranking". FIFA. 29 November 2018. Archived from the original on 3 December 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
↑ José Pablo Díaz (7 December 2018). "Malaysia to face Vietnam in Suzuki Cup final". AS South Africa. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018. Both teams have already emerged victorious at the tournament once, with Vietnam being crowned winners in 2008 and Malaysia in 2010.
Jeong-hyeon, Lee (16 December 2018). "완성된 박항서 매직…베트남전 실시간 시청률 16.31％"[Park Hang-seo's magic is complete... Vietnam match real-time viewership ratings 16.31%]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Seoul. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
1 2 Seon-min, Sun (15 December 2018). "'박항서 매직' 베트남, 말레이시아 꺾고 10년 만에 스즈키컵 우승"[Vietnam, with 'Park Hang-seo Magic', defeats Malaysia to win the Suzuki Cup for the first time in 10 years.]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 14 August 2025.
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