During that short era, Vietnam hosted the 2007 AFC Asian Cup along with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand; despite failure to qualify for the Asian Cup since the 1990s. The team was ranked second lowest only after Malaysia, but in the group stage, Vietnam created shock by defeating the UAE 2–0, drawing 1–1 with another Gulf team, Qatar, before losing 1–4 to Japan. Vietnam were the only Southeast Asian and host team to reach the quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual champions Iraq 0–2. The amazing journey of Vietnam began the first renaissance of Vietnamese football.