Indonesian media is buzzing about the Vietnamese team's nearly 1.9m tall overseas Vietnamese player.

Indonesia's Super Ball called Patrik Lê Giang the new Slovakian-origin "wall," forecasting that his appearance will spark significant competition for the goalkeeper spot in the Vietnamese national squad.

Media Indonesia has recently focused considerable attention on the Vietnamese national team after goalkeeper Patrik Lê Giang was called up to the national squad. Super Ball particularly highlighted the impressive height of nearly 1.9m of the Slovakian-origin goalkeeper and suggested he could become a new "wall" in Vietnam's goal.

Goalkeeper Patrik Lê Giang officially obtained Vietnamese citizenship earlier this year and quickly earned his first call-up to the national team. The 1992-born goalkeeper currently plays for TP.HCM Club in V.League and was called up by coach Kim Sang-sik to prepare for the crucial match against Malaysia in the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers.

Lê Giang is one of three TP.HCM Club players called up to the national team. The other two names are forwards Nguyễn Tiến Linh and Đinh Thanh Bình. Super Ball stated that Lê Giang's presence means the Vietnamese team now has three goalkeepers with foreign heritage in the lineup.

Super Ball emphasized that besides Lê Giang, the Vietnamese team also includes two familiar names, Filip Nguyễn (Czech origin) and Đặng Văn Lâm (Russian origin), in this call-up list. The Indonesian newspaper assessed that Lê Giang's arrival could generate substantial competition for the goalkeeper position.

According to the plan, the Vietnamese national team will have a friendly match with Bangladesh before entering the pivotal clash with Malaysia in Group F of the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. The match between the two teams is scheduled to take place at Thiên Trường Stadium on March 31.

Currently, Malaysia leads the group with 15 points after 5 matches, while Vietnam ranks second with 12 points. However, the team coached by Peter Cklamovski faces the risk of being penalized with losses in some matches due to issues related to ineligible naturalized players.

If the penalty is applied, the situation in Group F could change significantly, opening a greater opportunity for the Vietnamese team in the race to secure a spot for the Asian Cup 2027 – the tournament to be held in Saudi Arabia early next year.