BANGKOK/HANOI (Reuters): Vietnam will take a 2-1 lead into the second leg of the Asean Championship final against Thailand after Brazil-born striker Nguyen Xuan Son scored twice in Viet Tri on Tuesday night to continue the blistering start to his international career.
An 83rd minute header from Chalermsak Aukkee, however, ensures the tie is finely posed ahead of Sunday's return in Bangkok as the defending champions aim to add to their record haul of seven South-East Asian titles.
"It was important to win the game today, it was a hard game," said Xuan Son, who is also known as Rafaelson.
"There's just 90 minutes now, we played, we won but there's one more game in Thailand. We have to keep focused and try to win the next game."
Xuan Son has now scored seven times in four matches for Vietnam since gaining citizenship in December, five years after moving to the country to play for Nam Dinh.
He netted twice in his debut against Myanmar during the group phase and scored three times in the two-legged semi-final win over Singapore.
The 27-year-old gave Vietnam the lead in the 59th minute, heading into the top corner from close range after Vu Van Thanh nodded captain Nguyen Quang Hai's cross-field ball into his path.
Xuan Son doubled his side's advantage 13 minutes later with a low left-foot strike that arrowed across goalkeeper Patiwat Khammai and into the bottom corner.
Chalermsak pulled one back for Thailand with seven minutes remaining, rising to head Suphanat Mueanta's in-swinging cross from the left beyond Nguyen Dinh Trieu's dive to his left.
The meeting between the two nations is a re-run of the 2022 final, which Thailand won 3-2 on aggregate.
Vietnam have lifted the trophy twice previously, in 2008 when they defeated Thailand in the decider, and in 2018.
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Alison Williams) - Reuters
