Vietnam fell behind in the 31st minute after losing possession in their own half, allowing Mohib Ullah to break through and beat goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang.

The deficit prompted head coach Kim Sang-sik to make changes at the break, with Nguyen Dinh Bac and Phan Tuan Tai coming on to inject more pace and creativity into Vietnam’s attack.

The adjustments quickly paid off. In the 50th minute, Tuan Tai played a through ball to Nguyen Hai Long, who cut inside before curling the ball into the far corner to level the score.

Seven minutes later, Vietnam completed the turnaround. Dinh Bac worked his way down the left before laying the ball back for Nguyen Hoang Duc, who struck a powerful shot to put Vietnam 2-1 ahead.

Vietnam continued to create chances and extended their lead in the 79th minute. Tuan Tai sent a long pass forward for Dinh Bac, who raced behind the Pakistan defence and calmly finished his one-on-one chance.

Pakistan pulled one back in the 88th minute when Ali Khan’s shot took a deflection off a teammate and wrong-footed Le Giang, setting up a tense finish.

Vietnam, however, restored their two-goal advantage in stoppage time. Dinh Bac sent a through ball into the box for Williams Minh Hoang, who broke into the area and calmly beat the Pakistan goalkeeper to make it 4-2.

The victory lifted Vietnam to second place in Group B with six points, behind Thailand, and secured their place in the third-place play-off.

Malaysia will be Vietnam’s opponents after finishing second in Group A despite a 6-0 victory over Singapore.

Malaysia and Indonesia both ended the group stage with seven points and an identical goal difference of plus nine. Indonesia, however, scored 11 goals across their three matches, compared with nine for Malaysia, giving the hosts top spot in the group.

Malaysia’s victory over Singapore featured a hat-trick from Bergson da Silva, along with goals from Stuart Wilkin, Paulo Josue and Syahir Bashah. The result was not enough to take Malaysia into the final.

Vietnam and Malaysia will meet in the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 third-place play-off at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on October 5, with kick-off scheduled for 4pm.

FIFA ASEAN Cup: Vietnam eye victory over Pakistan to reach third-place play-off

VOV.VN - Vietnam need only a draw against Pakistan to secure second place in Group B of the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, but head coach Kim Sang-sik wants his side to go further and finish the group stage with a win in a decisive encounter against Pakistan in Jakarta on October 2.