Despite dominating possession early, the Philippines didn’t create many scoring chances and only took the lead in the 68th minute with Jarvey Gayoso’s powerful strike.
After conceding, Vietnam struggled to equalise, hitting the crossbar and making numerous substitutions to refresh their attack.
Doan Ngoc Tan, making his national team debut, scored his first-ever international goal to rescue Vietnam. His late strike preserved the Vietnamese team’s undefeated streak, kept them at the top of Group B, with seven points after three matches; and reinforced their determination to reach the semi-finals.
With this result, Vietnam remains on course for the semi-finals, though their qualification is not yet guaranteed. Only a home defeat by two or more goals against fourth-place Myanmar would eliminate them from the competition.
