KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia proved unable to hold their own, succumbing to a 2-0 defeat against Vietnam in their second Under-23 Asian Cup Group D match at Qatar’s Khalifa International Stadium today.
Harimau Muda adopted a more offensive approach in the match with a 4-4-2 formation and showed plenty of promise in the opening minutes through the combination of Fergus Tierney and Luqman Hakim Shamsudin, as they kept threatening the opposition’s defence with their explosive runs.
Juan Torres Garrido’s charges, who had a 71% attacking chance in the match, nearly found a breakthrough in the 20th minute when Mukhairi Ajmal’s 13m shot was easily saved by goalkeeper Van Chuan Quan.
Selangor FC’s Nooa Laine, making his third appearance for the under-23 side, nearly pulled off a surprise as his cross from the right wing confused the Golden Star Warriors’ defence, almost finding the net in the 25th minute.
However, Malaysia’s dominance only lasted for 25 minutes as they started collapsing like a house of cards when Vietnam quickly transitioned with the counterattacking gameplay.
Terengganu FC’s Ubaidullah Shamsul became the victim of Vietnam’s counter attacking prowess when he was forced to foul Ho Van Cuong 25 yards from the right corner of the pitch, receiving the second yellow card of the match after Muhammad Khalil.
Van Khang Khuat, who plays for Viettel FC in the Vietnam domestic league, scored a stunner with his left-footed free-kick, easily beating goalkeeper Azim Amin in the top right corner.
Controversy arose in the match at the 43rd minute when Manh Hung Nguyen was clearly seen handling the ball in the penalty box from a Mukhairi cross, only for Iranian match referee Mooud Bonyadifard to deny Malaysia a penalty.
Vietnam continued to apply pressure on the Malaysia defence, making it difficult for Garrido’s charges to connect their moves until the half-time whistle.
Malaysia showed several glimpses of hope in the second half through substitute Daryl Sham, who came on for Luqman Hakim.
The 21-year-old Johor Darul Ta’zim midfielder forced goalkeeper Van Chuan, making his 30th appearance for his country, into a double save at the near post in the 56th minute.
Ubaidullah once again became the villain of the team as he fouled Nguyen Thai Son in the penalty box, which led Vo Hoang Minh Khoa to calmly slot the penalty to seal the victory for his side.
After being eliminated from the tournament with today’s defeat and currently sitting at the bottom of Group D, Malaysia will play their final group match against Vietnam on April 23.
Harimau Muda’s best achievement in the U-23 Asian Cup was in 2018 when they reached the quarter-finals of the tournament in China. – April 20, 2024