Southeast Asian media comment on the draw between Vietnam and Singapore

Southeast Asian media praise Singapore for playing good defense against Vietnam in the draw on the evening of July 31 at the group stage of the ASEAN Cup 2026.

Vietnam could not win against Singapore in the match at My Dinh Stadium on the evening of July 31. After 90 minutes, Vietnam created many chances but could not score and had to accept a 0-0 draw despite having 22 shots.

After the match, the newspaper CNN Indonesia published an article with the headline: "ASEAN Cup 2026 Result: Vietnam draw with Singapore despite dominating the match".

The Indonesian newspaper wrote: "The Vietnamese team actually dominated completely throughout the first half. The red-shirted players continuously organized attacks and created numerous clear-cut chances. However, luck was not on the side of Nguyen Xuan Son and his teammates as many obvious opportunities could not be converted into goals."

"Meanwhile, Singapore actively played defense. The visitors only launched a few counterattacks but faced many difficulties against the home team's defense. The first half ended without any goals. In the second half, Vietnam continued to maintain dominance. Nevertheless, Singapore also showed resilience," the Indonesian newspaper commented.

Meanwhile, the newspaper Strait Times of Singapore wrote: "Despite being underdogs, the Singapore team (ranked 148th in the world) with no fear played fairly against the host and defending champion Vietnam and earned an impressive 0-0 draw at My Dinh Stadium on the evening of July 31, thereby maintaining the top spot in Group A."

"Despite being completely outplayed in possession and chances, Singapore kept their composure. The visitors patiently built up from the back, maintained a reasonable defensive shape, and forced Vietnam to mostly shoot from distance. The deadlock prompted coach Kim Sang Sik to replace the lackluster Nguyen Dinh Bac with Tai Loc as early as the 41st minute. The second half followed a similar script. Singapore continued to defend bravely, while Tai Loc also had a shot that hit the crossbar," the newspaper Strait Times writes.

The newspaper Siam Sport of Thailand commented: "Vietnam have disappointed when being held to a 0-0 draw by Singapore at home in the Group A match of the ASEAN Cup 2026, thereby dropping to third place in the standings. The next opponent for the coach's team will be a difficult away trip to Indonesia."

"Considered one of the top contenders for the ASEAN Cup 2026 title, Vietnam failed to capitalize on home advantage as they only managed a goalless draw against Singapore in Group A," the Thai newspaper wrote.

The website SNE of Malaysia wrote: "Singapore displayed a disciplined defensive performance to frustrate the defending champions Vietnam, thereby earning a 0-0 draw at My Dinh Stadium on Friday evening, thereby maintaining the top spot in Group A at the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026."