Vietnam defeated the Philippines 3-2 in the fifth match of Group F in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for Asia at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on Thursday evening.

The victory rejuvenated Vietnam’s hopes of progressing to the next stage of the World Cup qualifiers, as they now lag behind group runners-up Indonesia by only a single point.

While Thursday’s game was intense, both teams were neck and neck for the first 45 minutes. 

Vietnam aggressively attacked throughout the match, but their efforts were thwarted by the Philippines’ solid defense.

Vietnam’s closest chance in the first half came from Do Hung Dung’s distant strike in the third minute.

Noticing Philippine goalkeeper Neil Etheridge positioned far from the net, Hung Dung attempted a long-range shot, but it went wide of the target.

In the 20th minute, the Philippines nearly found an opening goal when Zico Bailey capitalized on a careless cross from Hung Dung but narrowly missed the mark with his shot on goal.

In the 41st minute, the Philippines had a clear opportunity in front of Vietnam’s goal, but Patrick Reichelt failed to convert.

After half-time adjustments, Vietnam improved. 

However, they conceded the first goal of the match in the 61st minute, when Patrick Reichelt slotted the ball past goalkeeper Dang Van Lam.

Just four minutes later, Vietnam equalized as Nguyen Tien Linh caught Nguyen Van Toan’s pass and calmly tapped the ball into the net.

In the 76th minute, Tien Linh headed his second goal into the net following a superb cross from substitute Phan Tuan Tai, putting Vietnam in the lead. 

However, Kevin Ingreso’s powerful volley in the 89th minute leveled the score to 2-2.

Though a draw seemed likely, Nguyen Tuan Anh changed the game's outcome in stoppage time with a powerful shot deflected by Etheridge, setting up Pham Tuan Hai for a rebound shot.

This crucial goal pushed Vietnam’s to a 3-2 victory.

Vietnam will need to maintain their momentum as they gear up for their match against Iraq on June 11.

The second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for Asia began on November 16, 2023 and will wrap up on June 11.

A total of 36 teams were drawn into nine groups of four to play home-and-away round-robin matches.

The winners and runners-up of each group will advance to the third round.

In Group F, Iraq lead with 15 points, followed by Indonesia in second place with seven points. 

Vietnam closely follow with six points, while the Philippines trail at the bottom with only one point.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!