Right after the referee blew the final whistle, thousands of fans burst in joy. After the last fixture of group C, South Korea, who won 1-0 against Thailand, topped the group with seven points, followed by Vietnam with four points. Thailand and Malaysia were eliminated.
“The game was tough at first but we kept our composure. Hopefully, the team can win the title as they did at SEA Games 31,” 57-year-old Nguyen Rang said.
Hoang, a 40-year-old fan, called his relative to share the delightful moment.
“The more they play, the better they get,” he said.
When the referee blew the whistle to end the first half, many fans were already in celebration mode.
Before that, at the first minutes of the game, many were holding their breath when Vietnam struggled to convert their chances into goals.
When the referee checked VAR for a possible handball of Malaysia inside the box, thousands on the street chanted “penalty”.