Southeast Asian media went wild after Xuân Son's unbelievable hat-trick

Xuân Son’s hat-trick for Nam Định FC at the Shopee Cup sparked excitement across the local media.

Nguyễn Xuân Son netted a hat-trick in his debut match at the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup, helping Nam Định FC secure a 3-0 victory over Myanmar’s Shan United FC at Thuwanna Stadium in Yangon on Thursday, maintaining their top spot in Group B.

This was only Xuân Son’s third official game after a 10-month recovery. Since fully healing from a serious injury sustained in the second leg final of the 2024 AFF Cup, Xuân Son has scored 4 goals, including one for the Vietnam national team and the recent hat-trick against Shan United.

Xuân Son’s comeback instantly grabbed attention and received widespread coverage from regional media. The tournament’s official site, ASEAN Utd, reported: "The Vietnamese-Brazilian international, returning after a broken leg injury suffered in the AFF Cup final between Vietnam and Thailand in January, scored a penalty in first-half stoppage time before doubling his team’s lead in the 51st minute.

Xuân Son completed his hat-trick by finishing close range, with Mark Sekyi’s red card five minutes earlier leaving Shan United with 10 men. After the match, Xuân Son was also awarded the Shopee Star of the Match."

Notably, Malaysian media also paid close attention to Xuân Son. Harimau Malaya wrote: “Xuân Son was the standout player of yesterday’s Shopee Cup matches, scoring a hat-trick to lead Nam Định to a 3-0 win over Shan United in Yangon. The Brazilian-born player is making a strong impression after recovering from a serious injury sustained at the 2024 AFF Cup.”

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Makan Bola also reported: "Xuân Son’s sweet debut at the Shopee Cup. He is regaining his scoring form after recovering from a major injury earlier in 2025. Previously, he also scored for Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers against Laos last November."

Related article

With his hat-trick, Xuân Son is closing in on a remarkable milestone in Vietnam Xuân Son is about to reach an impressive goal-scoring landmark after more than five years playing in Vietnam. See more