Lam and his teammates sing the national anthem before the match at My Dinh Stadium.
Lam, whose birth name is Lev Shonovich Dang, was born to a Russian mother and a Vietnamese father.
His background was a factor in head coach Kim Sang-sik's decision to put Lam in the starting lineup.
The 31-year-old keeper also started in coach Kim's debut match, when Vietnam beat the Philippines 3-2 in the fifth round of group H in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers second round in June.
The two teams approached the game with caution, so Lam rarely faced any trouble.
However, playing against a much stronger opponent with superior physique, Lam and the team could only keep a clean sheet until the 24th minute.
When Tamerlan Musaev made a cross from the left flank, Lam tried to punch the ball out but was a beat slower than Daler Kuzyayev, who headed the ball in to open the score for Russia.
Lam was disappointed with the goal. Before that, Vietnam defended tightly and did not allow Russia to create any dangerous chances.
In the second half, the two teams play in unfavorable weather conditions with heavy rain.
That was when Lam made a mistake. In the 61st minute, Russia pressed on Vietnam’s defense, forcing Vu Van Thanh to pass back to Lam. The ball bounced and then hit a bump on the pitch. Lam tried to swing his foot to kick the ball but missed and it went straight into the net.
Lam couldn't hide the disappointment on his face. Center-back Que Ngoc Hai (L) had to pat his head to encourage him, then quickly got the ball back into play.
Russian defender Ruslan Litvinov did the same as he hugged, shook hands and talked to Lam as if to help him calm down.
In the 77th minute, Vietnam conceded another goal. After a good play on the right, Ivan Oblyakov ran down to receive the pass and then crossed for Tamerlan Musayev to finish into the empty net.
After the match, Lam said he was emotional because he did not have many opportunities to face his motherland team. He also blamed himself for making a mistake that led to the defeat.
The keeper also felt down when there were not many spectators at the stadium.
"We are used to the vibrant atmosphere at My Dinh. Maybe people are worried about the upcoming storm. Hopefully, in the next matches, more fans will come," Lam said, referring to super typhoon Yagi which is forecast to hit northern Vietnam on Saturday.
Many teammates came to encourage Lam. On the left is goalkeeper Fillip Nguyen - who has been naturalized and played a few matches for the national team recently during Lam's absence due to injury.
In the next match on Sept. 7, Russia will face Thailand, who will play Vietnam on Sept. 10, wrapping up the three-team friendly tournament at My Dinh Stadium.
Lam was trained at two prestigious Russian academies, Spartak Moscow and Dinamo Moscow.
He has been Vietnam's top goalkeeper for the past eight years. He has been in the starting lineup of the national team since 2018, winning the 2018 AFF Cup, reaching the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup, and advancing to the 2022 World Cup third qualifiers.
