Vietnam, the reigning Southeast Asian champions, faced the Philippines in Division 1, Group B at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung, Indonesia, on Saturday evening.
As usual, Le Giang judged his runs off the line well and linked up with his back line, giving the defense a sense of security in front of goal.
Though the Philippines repeatedly threatened his goal, Le Giang stood firm and handled everything securely. He was beaten only once, by a 23rd-minute long-range strike from Randy Schneider, a midfielder who plays in Spain's second division, but the ball struck the crossbar.
He stayed focused after the break. In the 54th minute, striker Jarvey Gayoso fired a powerful shot at the near post, but Le Giang dived across to push it away.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Sebastian Rasmussen headed dangerously from close range, and once again the Vietnamese-Slovak goalkeeper dived to keep it out.
With Vietnam pinned back, Le Giang was not the only one to shine, as his defenders also played their part. Newcomer Nguyen Adou Leygley Minh deployed as a left-sided center-back, looked composed and snuffed out several Philippine chances.
Further forward, Le Giang's Cong An Ho Chi Minh City teammates Williams Minh Hoang (left photo) and Ngo Dang Khoa also played with plenty of drive.
Minh Hoang set up Nguyen Dinh Bac for the game's only goal in the 25th minute.
After the final whistle, Le Giang pulled Minh Hoang aside, patted him on the chest and pointed to the stand where Vietnamese fans had gathered.
Le Giang, 34, was born in the town of Lucenec in Slovakia's Banska Bystrica Region, the second child of a Vietnamese father, a civil servant, and a Slovak mother, a university lecturer. Before moving to his father's homeland, he played for Slovakia's youth teams up to U21 level and for Czech club Bohemians 1905.
On Sept. 29, Le Giang and his teammates will take on Thailand in a match that could decide who top Group B, with only the group winners advancing to the final.
