Vietnam v United Arab Emirates (2007 AFC Asian Cup)

Vietnam was regarded as a bad team, and had a below-average performance in the 2006 World Cup qualification, finishing third in their group with a record of 1-1-4. Vietnam's performance had also suffered criticism earlier in the 2007 AFF Championship, when they were eliminated in the semi-finals by Thailand following a 0-2 defeat at home and a 0–0 away draw. Due to these disappointing performances, the Vietnam team coach Alfred Riedl said he had low expectations. Vietnam was drawn against three previous champions in its group: Japan, then-Asian champion, having won the 2004 edition; Qatar, the champion of 2006 Asian Games and the UAE, then-champion of the Gulf Cup also held earlier in 2007.[2] To make the matter worst, Vietnam was the lowest-ranked team to be seeded in the competition, ranking 172 at the time.

To prepare for the competition, Vietnam played two friendlies against Jamaica and Bahrain, with the latter shares cultural common with the United Arab Emirates and finished fourth in the previous edition. Vietnam managed to beat Jamaica 3–0 before creating a goal fever in a 5–3 win against the latter.

The UAE team had suffered several injuries to its roster, but even before the match, the UAE was expected to emerge victoriously. The UAE, having just won the 2007 Gulf Cup, had several top stars in their squad, notably Ismail Matar, Amer Mubarak, and Faisal Khalil. They were also under French coach, Bruno Metsu, who had led Senegal to the quarter-finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Moreover, the UAE had an edge in FIFA position, ranking 87 at the time.

Vietnam and the UAE opened the Group B matches under the supervision of Lebanese referee Talaat Najm. The UAE started strongly, pressuring the Vietnamese defense in the opening minutes. Vietnam was cheered on by a majority of home fans, but the UAE dominated the opening minutes, demonstrating their skill and experience. Despite this, Vietnam had several chances, but poor-quality finishing lead to them scoring no goals. The UAE controlled possession and managed to create several promising chances, but also didn't score.

The Vietnamese midfielders and defenders' discipline helped keep the score heading into half time at 0-0. Vietnamese goalkeeper, Dương Hồng Sơn, played a key role in keeping the score level in the first half.

The early stages of the second half were again dominated by the UAE team. Despite missing several opportunities, the UAE side kept focusing on the offensive, leaving them vulnerable to Vietnam counterattacks.

When the ball was passed from the Emirati defense to midfielder Ismail Mater, defender Huỳnh Quang Thanh intercepted the ball. Thanh passed it to midfielder Nguyễn Minh Phương before making a run into the penalty area of the UAE. Emerati goalkeeper Majed Naser, slow to react to Phương's run, allowed a decisive strike by Thanh to give Vietnam a 1–0 lead in the 64th minute. This came as a complete surprise to the supporters in the stadium, as this was expected to be a routine victory for the UAE.

Emerati attacker Faisal Khalil had a chance to equalize for the UAE, but failed to finish. Following which, Vietnam took advantage of the opposing team committing men forward and launched a counter-attack. However, defender Phùng Văn Nhiên was too slow in his decision making and the ball was quickly reclaimed by Rashid Abdulrahman Al-Hawsani, who then passed to Matar. Matar shot directly to the foot of Vietnamese goalkeeper Nguyễn Huy Hoàng and the ball was sent towards captain Minh Phuong. He then made a long pass through to attacker Lê Công Vinh, who shot the ball over the head of UAE's Naser in the 73rd minute, giving Vietnam a 2-0 lead.

The Emiratis attacked all-out during the final minutes, to no avail. Vietnam ended the match victorious, defeating the UAE 2–0, and creating the biggest shock in the tournament's opening days. For the UAE, the loss had a disastrous consequence on their campaign. For Vietnam, their shock victory over one of Asia's strongest teams helped establish them as a competent nation in football.