Latest Asian Cup qualifying rankings: Malaysia firmly in top 1, Vietnam sadly caught up by Laos

The Laos team made a bright statement with a 2-1 victory over Nepal, with a goal from new signing Thanh Hoa Club, to catch up with the Vietnam team in Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Hai Long dribbles the ball in the circle of Malaysian players

Photo: Ngoc Linh

Vietnam team's defense collapsed

The Vietnamese team entered the match confidently despite the huge pressure from tens of thousands of Malaysian fans at Bukit Jalil and especially 9/11 of the main Western players of coach Peter Cklamovski, in which 4/5 of the newly naturalized players who were just approved by FIFA to play started from the beginning: Garces, Irazabal, Figueiredo, Holgado.

However, the turning point happened when Thanh Chung suffered a knee injury. Despite his best efforts, he was injured for the second time and had to leave the field in the 38th minute. Then Tien Dung was also forced to leave the field to make way for Ly Duc.

The patchwork defense of Duy Manh, Xuan Manh, and Ly Duc could not maintain a seamless connection and solid coverage like before. Realizing the gap, the experienced Malaysian players immediately increased the pressure.

Malaysia 4-0 Vietnam: Completely 'frozen' by the naturalized stars

Injuries cause Vietnam's defense to crumble at Bukit Jalil

Photo: Ngoc Linh

After 3 miraculous saves in the first half, Nguyen Filip could do nothing more in the 49th minute, when Figueiredo's shot bounced off Duy Manh's foot and rolled into the net, leaving the entire defense stunned.

The following goals from Holgado, Corbin-Ong and Dion Cools in the 59th, 67th and 88th minutes helped Malaysia open a resounding 4-0 victory, ending an 11-year streak of being outclassed by the Vietnamese team.

This victory helped "Harimau Malaya" rise to the top of Group F with 6 points after 2 matches, creating a difference of 3 goals (+5 compared to +2) to touch 1 hand on the ticket to Asian Cup 2027. A huge advantage is in the hands of coach Peter Cklamovski and his team.

Coach Kim Sang-sik will have to rely on a miracle to regain the top spot in Group F.

Photo: Ngoc Linh

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese team fell to second place in the table but was caught up by their Lao counterparts with the same 3 points. Clearly, many difficulties await coach Kim Sang-sik and his team on the road ahead.

Important victory of Laos team

The second match of Group F, the third qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup, took place with a lot of emotions, in which the Lao team had a meaningful 2-1 victory over Nepal to get the first 3 points.

Welcoming the "easy-to-eat" opponent Nepal at home, the Laos team entered the match with enthusiasm and determination. Coach Ha Hyeok-jun's students concretized their advantage with the opening goal in the 13th minute by Damoth Thongkhamsavath, a Vietnamese-American player currently playing for Thanh Hoa Club.

In the 50th minute, Peter Phanthavong doubled the gap to 2-0 for the "Land of a Million Elephants" team. Manish Dangi shortened the score to 1-2 for Nepal from a penalty in the 73rd minute, but it was not enough to help the away team avoid leaving the field empty-handed.

Malaysia has a huge advantage to win a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup

Photo: Ngoc Linh

This victory helped the Lao team get the first 3 points in the 3rd qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup. This will be an important milestone for coach Ha Hyeok-jun and his team to be more determined in the project of improving the team for the next stage.

The heavy 0-4 loss has put coach Kim Sang-sik and his team in an extremely difficult situation. The Vietnamese team will need a real miracle to create a comeback in the second leg on March 31, 2026.

The three away matches of the Vietnam team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, the broadcasting rights in Vietnam belong to VTV. In addition to the Malaysia - Vietnam match at 8:00 p.m. on June 10, 2025 (we lost 0-4). Then there are the Nepal - Vietnam matches on October 14, 2025 and the Laos - Vietnam match on November 18, 2025.

The home matches of the Vietnam team, including Vietnam vs Laos on March 25, 2025 (won), Vietnam - Nepal on October 9, 2025 and Vietnam - Malaysia on March 31, 2026, will be broadcast on the FPT Play platform.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bang-xep-hang-vong-loai-asian-cup-moi-nhat-malaysia-vung-top-1-viet-nam-ngam-ngui-bi-lao-bat-kip-185250610215743819.htm