This marks the first occasion since his arrival in Vietnam that Xuan Son has netted a hat-trick versus an international club.
Xuan Son recently made headlines with a hat-trick against Shan United in the group stage of the Shoppe Cup, securing a 3-0 victory for Nam Dinh. Notably, this was also the official debut of the naturalized Vietnam national team striker in this tournament, marking his first participation with Nam Dinh club.
Having just returned after a 10-month injury hiatus, Xuan Son quickly regained his top form and goal-scoring prowess, scoring 4 goals in 3 matches. He made his comeback in the Vietnam vs Laos match, scoring a penalty, started the Cup match against Long An without scoring, before achieving a hat-trick against Shan United.
Importantly, this is also Xuan Son’s ninth hat-trick since playing in Vietnam. However, it is the first time he has scored three goals against a foreign team. His previous eight hat-tricks were all against V-League clubs.
Even during the 2024 AFF Cup when he was in excellent form, despite scoring 7 goals in 5 matches, Xuan Son did not manage a hat-trick against any team. The naturalized Vietnam striker’s highest tally per match was two goals. Therefore, Shan United is the first foreign club against which Xuan Son has scored a hat-trick since his arrival in Vietnam in 2020.
These 3 goals also helped Xuan Son increase his total goals scored since moving to Vietnam, bringing him closer to the 100-goal mark. Specifically, Xuan Son has scored 91 goals combining club and national team appearances since joining Vietnam in 2020. Nearly 100 goals in just over 5 years, despite almost a year sidelined, demonstrates his remarkably consistent scoring ability.
At the club level, Xuan Son has scored 52 goals for Nam Dinh, 6 for SHB Da Nang, 25 for Binh Dinh, and 8 for the Vietnam national team (7 of which came at the 2024 AFF Cup). Just 9 more goals will officially mark his 100th goal since arriving in Vietnam.