VFF speaks out about a young star scoring a hat-trick to help Vietnam secure a big victory.

U19 Vietnam commenced the 2026 U19 Southeast Asia championship with a 3-0 triumph over Timor Leste, where Hoàng Công Hậu shone brightly and was instantly showered with praise by VFF.

U19 Vietnam opened the 2026 U19 Southeast Asia championship with a 3-0 victory over U19 Timor Leste, a match where they quickly built an advantage and controlled the game. Right after the match concluded, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) sent their congratulations: "Congratulations to U19 Vietnam for a smooth start at the 2026 U19 Southeast Asia Championship!", acknowledging the positive debut performance of the entire squad.

Not limiting to the team, VFF also gave special attention to Hoàng Công Hậu with the observation: "Công Hậu put on a brilliant performance in the opening match, scoring a hat-trick to help U19 Vietnam secure a 3-0 win over U19 Timor-Leste". This is an early recognition of the brilliant form of the young striker, who directly created the difference in U19 Vietnam's victory.

On the field, U19 Vietnam took the initiative from the start and needed only two minutes to score the opener. From a through ball by Đức Vũ, Hoàng Công Hậu burst forward and finished with composure, putting the team ahead 1-0. The early goal helped U19 Vietnam to easily take control of the game, even though Timor Leste still had some remarkable counterattacks.

After that, U19 Vietnam continued to dominate possession and create many dangerous chances. However, their finishing was not sufficiently effective, so the score remained unchanged. The most notable incident was in the 35th minute when Công Hậu combined with Đức Vũ inside the box, but his close-range shot hit the post.

Moving into the second half, the hot weather significantly reduced the match tempo, and U19 Vietnam found it difficult to maintain constant pressure. Timor Leste took advantage to organize rapid counterattacks, creating several situations that challenged the home team's defense.

In a closely fought game, Hoàng Công Hậu continued to excel in the 83rd minute, meeting a cross and executing a brilliant overhead kick to double the lead. In the 90th minute, Timor Leste's defense again failed in marking, and Công Hậu completed his hat-trick, securing a 3-0 victory.

In the next fixture, U19 Vietnam will face U19 Myanmar on June 4 before taking on host U19 Indonesia on June 7. The showdown with the representatives from the archipelago country is likely to be the crucial match of the group, as the competition with Indonesia will likely decide the group's top spot as well as the berth for U19 Vietnam to advance.