The 2008 AFF Championship final was the final match of the 2008 AFF Championship organised by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). The match was played over two legs between Vietnam and Thailand. The first leg was held at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on 24 December, while the second leg was held at the Mỹ Đình National Stadium in Hanoi on 28 December 2008.
Vietnam won the final with a total score of 3–2 after both matches to become the AFF Cup champion for the first time in history, since the tournament was renamed in 2007. This victory of the Vietnamese team was ranked by the website Goal.com as one of the top 10 outstanding Asian football events of 2008, as well as voted by Vietnamnet readers as one of the top 10 outstanding events of Vietnam in the year. This victory marked the first time Vietnam won a regional tournament, and the first time in 10 years since Vietnam lost in the final of the 1998 Tiger Cup.
Background Vietnam Ahead of the 2008 AFF Championship, Vietnam entered the tournament with high expectations but also a lot of pressure. A year earlier, the team had made a big splash when, for the first time in history, they advanced past the group stage of an AFC Asian Cup and reached the quarter-finals after an impressive 2–0 victory over the United Arab Emirates. The achievement at the 2007 AFC Asian Cup was considered an important milestone, helping Vietnamese football affirm its new position in the continental arena and receive great attention from the regional media.
However, at that time, Vietnamese football was still in the process of recovery and reconstruction after the match-fixing scandal involving a number of players of the U-23 team at the 2005 SEA Games. This incident severely affected the image of the team, forcing the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to carry out a series of reforms in organization, management and player training. In that context, many youth football academies were established to systematically develop the next generation of human resources, notably the Hoang Anh Gia Lai - Arsenal JMG Academy established in 2007.
Despite never having won the AFF Cup before, the Vietnamese team entered the tournament with great confidence from domestic fans, based on their improved performance from the Asian Cup and their determination to assert their position after a long period of internal pressure. That context created a strong motivation for the team to aim for the highest goal in this tournament.
Thailand Before the 2008 AFF Cup, the Thai team entered the tournament as co-hosts, planning to hold the group stage matches in Bangkok. However, the unstable political situation in the capital forced the Organizing Committee to move all these matches to Phuket on November 29, 2008. Organizing the tournament manually like that further increased the professional pressure on the Thai team.
In terms of force, after being unable to advance deep in the World Cup qualifiers (losing in the third group stage), coach Charnwit Polcheewin officially resigned on June 25, 2008. Peter Reid—former England manager—was then appointed on 23 July, set to take up the role on 1 September, also taking charge of the U20 team. The 2008 AFF Cup campaign was an opportunity for Thailand to win the championship for the 8th time in history, following the previous 7 championships.
Route to the final
Note: In all results below, the finalist's score is given first. (H: Home, A: Away) RoundOpponentScoreGroup stageOpponentScore2–0Match 10–26–0Match 23–23–0Match 34–0First in Group BFinal standingsSecond in Group BOpponent1st leg2nd legKnockout stageOpponent1st leg2nd leg3–11–0 (A)2–1 (H)Semi-final1–00–0 (H)1–0 (A)
Thailand Thailand were drawn into Group B along with Vietnam, Malaysia and Laos. The group stage of Group B was originally scheduled to be held in Bangkok, however due to the unstable political situation, the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) moved all matches to Phuket province. Under the guidance of coach Peter Reid, the Thai team showed superior performance compared to the opponents in the same group.
In the opening match, Thailand defeated Vietnam 2–0, thereby creating a big advantage in the race for a ticket to the next round. Next, the team beat Laos 6–0 in the second match, before ending the group stage with a 3–0 victory over Malaysia. After 3 matches, Thailand won 9 absolute points, scored 11 goals and conceded none, thereby topping Group B with an outstanding goal difference. In the semi-finals, Thailand met Indonesia – the runner-up in Group A. In the first leg in Jakarta, the away team won 1–0 thanks to the ability to control the game and make good use of set pieces. In the second leg at home, Thailand continued to show their superiority and won 2–1. With a total score of 3-1 after two matches, Thailand has appeared in an AFF Cup final for the seventh time. Vietnam Vietnam were also in Group B, and opened the tournament with a match against Thailand, a rival with many ties in the region. Despite starting the match with determination, Vietnam lost 0–2 in this match. However, coach Henrique Calisto’s team did not let the initial defeat affect the overall spirit of the team. In the second match, Vietnam faced Malaysia and won a thrilling 3-2 victory, opening up great hope for a ticket to the semi-finals. In the final match, the team played convincingly and defeated Laos 4–0, closing the group stage with 6 points. With this achievement, Vietnam ranked second in Group B, after Thailand, and won the right to continue.
In the semi-finals, Vietnam faced Singapore, the defending champion and host of Group A. The first leg at My Dinh Stadium ended with a score of 0–0 in a tight and calculating match. In the second leg at the Singapore National Stadium, Vietnam surprisingly won 1–0 thanks to the decisive goal of striker Nguyen Quang Hai. With this result, Vietnam entered the AFF Cup final for the second time in history.
Matches First leg
GK 18 Kosin Hathairattanakool RB 2 Suree Sukha CB 4 Chonlatit Jantakam CB 6 Nattaporn Phanrit LB 12 Natthaphong Samana CM 15 Surat Sukha CM 19 Pichitphong Choeichiu RW 14 Teeratep Winothai AM 7 Datsakorn Thonglao (c) LW 17 Sutee Suksomkit CF 10 Teerasil DangdaSubstitutes: GK 1 Kittisak Rawangpa DF 3 Patiparn Phetphun DF 5 Niweat Siriwong MF 16 Arthit Sunthornpit MF 21 Salahudin Arware MF 22 Rangsan Viwatchaichok FW 9 Ronnachai Rangsiyo FW 11 Tana Chanabut FW 13 Anon SangsanoiManager: Peter Reid GK 1 Dương Hồng Sơn RB 16 Huỳnh Quang Thanh CB 4 Lê Phước Tứ CB 7 Vũ Như Thành LB 2 Đoàn Việt Cường CM 22 Phan Văn Tài Em (c) CM 5 Nguyễn Minh Châu CM 14 Lê Tấn Tài AM 17 Nguyễn Vũ Phong CF 21 Nguyễn Việt Thắng CF 9 Lê Công Vinh Substitutes: GK 20 Trần Đức Cường DF 3 Nguyễn Minh Đức MF 10 Trần Trường Giang MF 12 Nguyễn Minh Phương FW 8 Thạch Bảo Khanh FW 13 Nguyễn Quang Hải FW 18 Phan Thanh Bình FW 19 Phạm Thành LươngManager: Henrique Calisto
Player of the Match: Nguyễn Vũ Phong (Vietnam)
Second leg
GK 1 Dương Hồng Sơn RB 16 Huỳnh Quang Thanh CB 4 Lê Phước Tứ CB 7 Vũ Như Thành LB 2 Đoàn Việt Cường CM 22 Phan Văn Tài Em (c) CM 5 Nguyễn Minh Châu CM 14 Lê Tấn Tài AM 17 Nguyễn Vũ Phong CF 21 Nguyễn Việt Thắng CF 9 Lê Công Vinh Substitutes: GK 20 Trần Đức Cường DF 3 Nguyễn Minh Đức DF 11 Lê Quang Cường MF 10 Trần Trường Giang MF 12 Nguyễn Minh Phương FW 8 Thạch Bảo Khanh FW 13 Nguyễn Quang Hải FW 18 Phan Thanh Bình FW 19 Phạm Thành LươngManager: Henrique Calisto GK 18 Kosin Hathairattanakool RB 2 Suree Sukha CB 4 Chonlatit Jantakam CB 6 Nattaporn Phanrit LB 12 Natthaphong Samana CM 15 Surat Sukha CM 8 Suchao Nuchnum RW 14 Teeratep Winothai AM 7 Datsakorn Thonglao (c) LW 17 Sutee Suksomkit CF 10 Teerasil DangdaSubstitutes: GK 1 Kittisak Rawangpa DF 3 Patiparn Phetphun DF 5 Niweat Siriwong MF 16 Arthit Sunthornpit MF 19 Pichitphong Choeichiu MF 21 Salahudin Arware MF 22 Rangsan Viwatchaichok FW 9 Ronnachai Rangsiyo FW 13 Anon SangsanoiManager: Peter Reid
Player of the match: Nguyễn Minh Phương (Vietnam)
Vietnam won 3–2 on aggregate.
Post-match
After a 1–1 draw in the second leg at My Dinh Stadium, with a total score of 3–2, the Vietnamese team officially won the 2008 AFF Championship for the first time in history. This was a turning point achievement, marking the affirmation of the strong position of Vietnamese football in the Southeast Asian region.
The most emotional highlight of the second leg of the final was the moment in injury time when Lê Công Vinh jumped high to head the ball back from a free kick by Minh Phương, sending it into the net, equalizing 1–1 for Vietnam. This header not only brought Vietnam to the championship with a total score of 3–2, but also made My Dinh Stadium explode with joy, as millions of domestic fans cheered and danced in celebration. That last-minute goal was given names such as “golden goal” by the media and officially became associated with the name of Lê Công Vinh. Not only contributing the decisive goal, Công Vinh also scored in the first leg, helping Vietnam win 2-1 in Thailand and creating important psychological momentum before the second leg.
After the match ended, Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng personally presented the championship trophy to captain Phan Văn Tài Em, marking the first time Vietnam won the championship of the tournament. During the award ceremony, goalkeeper Dương Hồng Sơn was honored as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament. This goalkeeper kept a clean sheet in many key matches, especially defeating Singapore in the semi-finals, and played an important role in the final victory.
Following the victory, public celebrations were reported across Vietnam, with large crowds gathering in major cities and provincial areas. In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, many residents assembled in central districts, waving national flags and celebrating into the night. Similar celebrations were also reported in cities including Huế, Quảng Ngãi, Hội An, Nha Trang, and Cần Thơ. In Rạch Giá, large crowds gathered in the streets following Công Vinh's goal, resulting in temporary traffic congestion.
Domestic and international media quickly called this a “miracle”, as this was the first time Vietnam had won a regional tournament. The press evaluated Cong Vinh’s “last minute” header as a symbol of Vietnam’s hope, determination and bravery. And in 2018, under the leadership of coach Park Hang-seo, Vietnam won the AFF Championship for the second time, but then the team failed in 2020 and 2022. In 2024, Vietnam won the championship for the third time with coach Kim Sang-sik, affirming the stable development of Vietnamese football in the next decade.
References Newspaper caption
Books Lê Công Vinh (2018). Minute 89. Hanoi: World Publishing House
See also 2008 AFF Championship Lê Công Vinh