Vietnam 0-0 Singapore Highlights: Away team defends brilliantly, Vietnam's finishing unstable

With over 20 attempts but just 2 on goal, the Vietnamese team has a concerning "aim" problem against a Singapore that played a very reasonable and frustrating defensive game at My Dinh Stadium.

Finishing concerns

Singapore played a counter-attacking defense but did not drop too deep or cluster excessively. The visitors pressed right on Vietnam's half, making it difficult for us to build up play from the back.

Singapore players were particularly persistent in marking and contesting when we managed to bring the ball past the midfield line. They effectively combined man-marking and zonal defense. Center-back pair Hariss Harun and Jacob Mahier took turns "looking after" Xuan Son, while commanding the defense.

Against such a tough defensive opponent, Vietnam still found spaces, had some smooth ball movements, and unleashed up to 21 shots. The problem was the home players' aim was off.

Dinh Bac, Xuan Son, Thanh Chung, or Hoang Hen… all had favorable chances, but their shots or headers went wide of Singapore's goal. The most notable on-target effort was Truong Tien Anh's long-range shot, but it was not a clear scoring opportunity.

When we managed to beat the defenders and goalkeeper, luck was not on our side. Two world-class long-range shots by Hoang Duc and Tai Loc hit the crossbar of Singapore's goal. But overall, Vietnam's finishing quality in this match was truly unstable.

Vietnam in a difficult position

Unable to win against Singapore at home, Vietnam has only 4 points from 2 matches, while Singapore leads and Indonesia is second in Group A of the 2026 ASEAN Cup with 7 and 6 points respectively.

Vietnam faces a major challenge in competing for a spot in the ASEAN Cup 2026 semifinals, as they still have an away match against Indonesia and a clash with Cambodia.

Being at a disadvantage in points compared to Indonesia and Singapore puts Vietnam under pressure to win against Indonesia in the upcoming match. We are in a situation that perhaps even we did not expect.

Singapore is better than the version in the 2024 ASEAN Cup

Compared to the version that lost to Vietnam in both legs of the 2024 ASEAN Cup semifinals, the Singapore in the 2026 ASEAN Cup plays much better.

They approached the match with extremely reasonable tactics and showed they had studied our players and our style of play quite thoroughly.

Singapore's defensive play in this match reached a high level of rationality. They blocked spaces and controlled areas too well. And they were not just about defending; they also had dangerous counter-attacks, and if Patrick Le Giang had not been outstanding, the visitors would have caused an upset right at My Dinh Stadium.