On December 15, 2018, the Vietnam national football team had a match against Malaysia in the second leg of the 2018 AFF Championship final determine the champion of the AFF Championship that year, the match was held at Mỹ Đình National Stadium in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. On their way to the final, Vietnam topped Group A with three wins and one draw, while Malaysia finished behind them with three wins and one loss (against their opponent). Vietnam then defeated the Philippines with aggregate score 4–2 in the semi-finals, while Malaysia overcame Thailand on the away goals rule after a 2–2 aggregate score over two legs. The match was played in front of 40,000 spectators, and the referee was Alireza Faghani, an Iranian-Australian. The Vietnamese public showed the most interest in the match, due to the achievements of their national football team before the tournament, and also because the Vietnamese squad included many players who had finished as runners-up in the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship. Furthermore, the South Korean public also paid close attention because coach Park Hang-seo was leading the Vietnamese national team at the time.

Vietnam opened the scoring in the 6th minute through Nguyễn Anh Đức, assisted by Nguyễn Quang Hải and Đoàn Văn Hậu. Following the lead, Vietnam adopted a defensive counter-attacking strategy, dropping deep into their own half. Malaysia were forced to push forward in search of an equalizer but faced fierce resistance from the Vietnamese defense and the brilliance of goalkeeper Đặng Văn Lâm, particularly his spectacular save against Mohamadou Sumareh's backheel in the 11th minute. Throughout the second half, Malaysia controlled possession but were unable to penetrate the home team's disciplined defense. Malaysia's set pieces were frequently neutralized by the height and positioning of the Vietnamese defenders. In the final minutes, the atmosphere became extremely tense with numerous fierce clashes. Due to the strictness of referee Alireza Faghani, the match saw a record number of cards, with a total of 11 yellow cards issued to both teams, including 6 yellow cards for Vietnam and 5 for Malaysia. This included an indirect red card (2 yellow cards) for Malaysian centre-back Shahrul Saad after fouling a Vietnamese player to stop a counter-attack, leaving Malaysia to finish the match with 10 players and Vietnam won with the score 1–0 and aggregate score of 3–2 after two legs.

Vietnam's victory marks their second ASEAN Championship title, after their first title in 2008 tournament over the Thailand with the same aggregate score. Vietnamese attacking midfielder Nguyễn Quang Hải won two awards: Man of the Match and Most Valuable Player of the tournament, celebrations of victory swept across major cities in Vietnam after the match ended. The match also attracted considerable attention from South Korean viewers for the Vietnamese team, even though it wasn't a match involving their national team and was a regional tournament in Southeast Asia. According to reports, this final match set viewership ratings records in the region: In Vietnam, the average rating reached an unprecedented high of 28.14% in Hanoi and peaked at over 31%; in South Korea, due to the attention given to coach Park Hang-seo, SBS recorded an average rating of 18.1% and a peak of 25.3%, becoming the most-watched sports program in the country for a decade at that time. Many newspapers in Vietnam and South Korea reported on the match after Vietnam won the championship, against the backdrop of Vietnamese football achieving many impressive results in 2018. Newspapers in South Korea are calling this the "Park Hang-seo Miracle" () because of what this coach has shown with the Vietnamese national team.

Due to the impact of the match on Vietnamese football, public opinion in this country usually only mentions the second leg whenever the final match of the tournament is discussed, and it also contributes to promoting diplomatic relations between Vietnam and South Korea.

Background

From its inaugural tournament in 1996, known as the Tiger Cup, until the 2018 edition, both the Vietnamese and Malaysian national teams were regular participants and considered strong teams in the region. The Vietnamese team participated in every edition of the tournament and won their first title in 2008 under coach Henrique Calisto, after defeating Thailand in the final. Besides this title, Vietnam finished as runners-up in 1998 and consistently reached the semi-finals in 1996, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2010, 2014, and 2016. The period from 2014 to 2016 saw consistent performance, with the team reaching the semi-finals but failing to advance to the final match. As for the Malaysian team, they also boast a similar track record, winning the championship in 2010 after defeating Indonesia in the final. Prior to that, Malaysia reached the first final of the tournament in 1996 but lost to Thailand. In subsequent stages, they finished as runners-up once more in 2014 and reached the semi-finals several times in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2012. A common characteristic of Malaysia during this period was their ability to maintain fluctuating performance but often perform effectively in knockout matches.

Prior to the 2018, the history of confrontations between Vietnam and Malaysia in the AFF Championship showed a relatively balanced record, but Vietnam had a slight advantage in terms of wins. In 10 official encounters in this tournament since 1996, Vietnam won 5 matches, drew 2, and lost 3. Vietnam's biggest victory against their opponent was in the 2002 tournament with a 2–1 score in the third-place match. However, Malaysia has held the upper hand in several crucial knockout matches. Most notably, in the 2010 semi-final, Malaysia eliminated defending champions Vietnam with a 2–0 aggregate score over two legs. In 2014, the two teams met again in the semi-final; although Vietnam won 2–1 in the first leg away from home, Malaysia won 4–2 in the second leg at My Dinh Stadium, overturning the deficit to a 5–4 aggregate score. These results have forged a long and storied rivalry between the two leading football nations in the region ahead of the 2018 final.

The Vietnamese national team's preparation for the 2018 AFF Championship was closely linked to a generational transition under South Korean coach Park Hang-seo. Following success at the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship and the 2018 Asian Games, the core of the team is a combination of young players in their prime and experienced veterans. The team underwent a two-week training camp at the Paju Sports Center in South Korea in October 2018. There, Vietnam played three friendly matches against local clubs to test tactical formations such as 3–4–3 and 3–5–2. Vietnam's squad is considered to have depth, with outstanding individuals in various positions such as Đặng Văn Lâm, Quế Ngọc Hải, Nguyễn Quang Hải, and Nguyễn Anh Đức. On the Malaysian side, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) appointed Tan Cheng Hoe as head coach with the goal of rebuilding their playing style. Malaysia shifted from a physically demanding style of play to a control-oriented, short-passing style that builds attacks from their own half. To prepare for the tournament, Malaysia conducted a squad review through international friendly matches against opponents such as Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan. Notably, this is the first AFF Cup where Malaysia has used a naturalized player, with the case of winger Mohamadou Sumareh. The Malaysian team focused on building cohesion between veteran players and new talents from the national U-23 team, aiming to improve on their early elimination in the group stage of the tournament two years prior.

Pre-match First-leg match The first leg, played on December 11, 2018, at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, ended in a 2–2 draw. Vietnam took an early two-goal lead through Nguyen Huy Hung and Pham Duc Huy, but Malaysia equalized with two goals from set pieces. The away-goal draw gave Vietnam a significant advantage going into the return match. According to the tournament regulations, Vietnam only needed a 0–0 or 1–1 draw in the second leg to win the championship. Conversely, Malaysia had to win or draw by a score of 3–3 or higher to secure the title in regular time.

Team details GK 1 Farizal Marlias RB 2 Amirul Azhan CB 17 Irfan Zakaria CB 3 Shahrul Saad LB 21 Nazirul Naim RM 13 Mohamadou Sumareh CM 14 Syamer Kutty Abba CM 12 Akram Mahinan LM 11 Safawi Rasid SS 9 Norshahrul Idlan Talaha CF 8 Zaquan Adha Radzak (c) Substitutions: DF 5 Adam Nor Azlin FW 18 Syafiq Ahmad MF 19 Akhyar Rashid Manager:Tan Cheng Hoe GK 23 Đặng Văn Lâm CB 3 Quế Ngọc Hải (c) CB 21 Trần Đình Trọng CB 28 Đỗ Duy Mạnh RM 8 Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng CM 15 Phạm Đức Huy CM 29 Nguyễn Huy Hùng LM 5 Đoàn Văn Hậu RW 19 Nguyễn Quang Hải LW 20 Phan Văn Đức CF 13 Hà Đức Chinh Substitutions: FW 22 Nguyễn Tiến Linh FW 14 Nguyễn Công Phượng MF 16 Đỗ Hùng Dũng Manager: Park Hang-seo

Man of the Match: Safawi Rasid (Malaysia)

Assistant referees: Ronnie Koh Min Kiat (Singapore) Bambang Syamsudar (Indonesia) Fourth official: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)

Broadcasting On December 13, 2018, Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) announced a temporary suspension of the next episodes of the prime-time drama Fates and Furies to dedicate the entire broadcast time to the match. Previously, matches of the Vietnamese national team under the leadership of South Korean coach Park Hang-seo were mainly broadcast on the cable television channel SBS Sports. However, due to increased viewer demand, the station has switched to a nationwide broadcast channel. According to media reports, the first leg match on December 11 recorded an average viewership rating of 4.706%, peaking at 7% in the second half.

Other activities Starting on the afternoon of December 15, thousands of fans gathered in the square in front of Mỹ Đình National Stadium. Organized fan clubs rehearsed cheering rituals, using drums and handheld loudspeakers to coordinate the crowd. Maximum security forces were deployed to manage traffic flow and control the crowd as the vehicles carrying the two teams moved into the stadium area. In the stands, groups of fans began deploying large flags and preparing visual cheering strategies to implement as soon as the match began. In other major cities, public football viewing areas (Fanzones) also attracted large crowds before kick-off. In Hồ Chí Minh City, the Nguyễn Huệ Boulevard area was equipped with many large LED screens, attracting tens of thousands of people gathering from around 4 PM. In other localities such as Đà Nẵng, Hải Phòng, and Cần Thơ, many large screens were also installed in squares, cultural centers, and local stadiums to serve the needs of people who could not travel to Hanoi to watch the matches live.

Match Summary First half

Malaysia kicked off the match at 19:30 local time (12:30 UTC) in front of a crowd of 40,000. Immediately after referee Alireza Faghani blew the opening whistle, the home team Vietnam proactively deployed an attacking style of play to seek an early advantage. In the 6th minute, the turning point of the match occurred. Midfielder Nguyễn Quang Hải skillfully controlled the ball on the left flank before delivering a medium-range cross into the penalty area. Striker Nguyễn Anh Đức, unmarked, took a shot with his left foot. Although Malaysian goalkeeper Farizal Marlias managed to get a hand to the ball, the powerful shot went straight into the net, giving Vietnam a 1–0 lead. The aggregate score was then raised to 3–2 in favor of Vietnam.