The Asian Football Confederation (AFF) has confirmed that Japanese referee Yusuke Ohashi will officiate the second leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 semi-final between Vietnam and Malaysia, scheduled for 8 PM on August 19. Following a solid 2-0 victory in Kuala Lumpur during the first leg, Vietnam will host Malaysia at My Dinh Stadium.

Vietnam's national team, under coach Kim Sang Sik, is in a favorable position to advance to the finals. They only need to avoid a loss by more than one goal to secure their place. If they lose by two goals, the match will go into extra time, and potentially a penalty shootout. A defeat by three goals or more would result in elimination.

Referee Yusuke Ohashi, born in 1994, has been officiating in Japan since 2024, primarily in the second and third divisions. He has refereed 14 matches in the Japanese national league and has experience from the U17 Southeast Asian Championship, where he officiated a match between U17 Vietnam and U17 Australia. In the ongoing ASEAN Cup, he has overseen three matches, issuing ten yellow cards and awarding three penalties.

Ohashi's appointment comes after a controversial performance by Uzbek referee Lutfullin Rustam in the first leg, which drew criticism from fans of both teams. Coach Kim Sang Sik expressed that while he has no significant complaints about the refereeing decisions, the frequent interruptions for VAR checks have been frustrating.