Vietnam completed a dramatic turnaround to capture the gold medal in the men’s football tournament at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.
The Golden Star Warriors claimed their third Southeast Asian Games crown in the last four editions, overturning a two-goal deficit to defeat hosts Thailand 3-2 after extra time in Bangkok on December 18.
Contested by Under-22 national teams since 2017, the final saw Vietnam battle back in the second half before Nguyen Thanh Nhan struck the decisive goal from close range in the 96th minute to settle the contest.
Earlier in the day, Malaysia secured the bronze medal with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Philippines. Danish Hakimi opened the scoring in the 28th minute, but an unfortunate own goal from Haqimi Azim brought the Philippines level.
Azim atoned for that mistake just before the interval, finding the net in the 43rd minute to restore Malaysia’s lead and clinch their first men’s football medal in eight years.
The spotlight ultimately shone on Vietnam, whose youthful side showed resilience and composure in the face of a partisan Thai crowd to secure a memorable gold medal triumph at Rajamangala National Stadium.
Around 17,000 supporters filled Thailand’s largest venue under the floodlights for a fiery finale between two teams that had arrived unbeaten, each having conceded only once en route to the final. While they had yet to face one another in the tournament, the sides were well acquainted after sharing the same hotel in Bangkok throughout the competition.
Thailand struck first when a foul just outside the penalty area presented Yotsakon Burapha with a free-kick opportunity, and the No. 9 responded by curling a precise effort into the net.
The hosts pressed for more and came close to extending their advantage before, following an injury delay and an early substitution, they eventually doubled their lead. Seksan Ratree weaved through the Vietnamese defense with a superb solo run before calmly placing his finish into the bottom-left corner to send Thailand into halftime with a 2-0 cushion.
Vietnam found a route back into the match almost immediately after the restart. Just two minutes into the second half, Nguyen Đình Bac reached the ball ahead of the goalkeeper and was fouled, earning a penalty that he confidently converted to reignite Vietnamese hopes.
Sustained pressure followed, and the equalizer arrived on the hour mark when Pham Ly Duc prodded a deep cross over the line. Thai goalkeeper Sorawat Phosaman produced a series of vital saves thereafter to keep the score level and prevent Vietnam from completing the comeback in regulation time.
Vietnam’s dominance continued into extra time, and the breakthrough finally came in the 96th minute when Thanh Nhan reacted quickest to a rebound, sealing a remarkable comeback and crowning Vietnam SEA Games champions once more.