Malaysian newspapers express gratitude to the U22 teams of Indonesia and Myanmar.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Many Malaysian newspapers believe their youth team was lucky to qualify for the semi-finals of the SEA Games 33. The New Straits Times frankly stated that they should thank the U22 teams of Indonesia and Myanmar.

U22 Malaysia secured a place in the semi-finals of the 33rd SEA Games as the best second-placed team in their group, finishing ahead of U22 Indonesia only by scoring one more goal. U22 Malaysia had a goal difference of +1 (4-3), while U22 Indonesia's 3-1 victory in the final match against U22 Myanmar only gave the defending SEA Games champions a goal difference of +1 (3-2). U22 Malaysia's qualification for the semi-finals surprised the Malaysian media.

The U22 Malaysia team seemed to be eliminated after their 0-2 loss to U22 Vietnam, but luck was on their side (Photo: Khoa Nguyen).

In the article "Malaysian youth team thanks Indonesia and Myanmar" in the New Straits Times, it states: "Malaysia had to rely on 'external assistance' to qualify for the semi-finals of the men's football tournament at the SEA Games and they received that today (December 12)."

Indonesia's 3-1 victory over Myanmar's U22 team in Group C in Bangkok opened the door for Malaysia to advance. This result secured Malaysia's place in the semi-finals as one of the two best-performing second-placed teams in their respective groups.

Previously, Malaysia started their SEA Games campaign with a 4-1 victory over U22 Laos, but a 0-2 defeat against U22 Vietnam in the next match forced coach Nafuzi Zain's team to wait for results from other groups. According to the format, the top three teams from each group, along with the two best second-placed teams, will qualify for the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, U22 Malaysia will face host nation Thailand on December 15th.

The BHarian newspaper stated that Nafuzi Zain's team breathed a sigh of relief after narrowly advancing: "The Malaysian U22 team can now breathe a sigh of relief as they have officially secured a place in the semi-finals of the men's football tournament at the 33rd SEA Games held in Thailand. The fact that the Indonesian U22 team defeated the Myanmar U22 team 3-1 in Group C gave them a decisive advantage, making the Malaysian U22 team the best-performing second-placed team and guaranteeing them a spot in the top four of the tournament."

Utusan newspaper commented that the U22 Malaysia team, which seemed to have been eliminated, unexpectedly reached the semi-finals: "Hope, which seemed to have faded, was rekindled after U22 Indonesia defeated U22 Myanmar 3-1 in the final match of Group C. This result made U22 Malaysia the best-performing second-placed team, based on goal difference."

Despite losing to Vietnam U22 in the final match of Group B, reaching the semi-finals still gives coach Nafuzi Zain and his team added motivation in their quest for a medal at the biennial Games.

Notably, the last time Malaysia reached the SEA Games semi-finals was at the previous Games held in Vietnam, while their most recent gold medal was in 2011 in Indonesia.

Coach Nafuzi Zain continues his journey at the 33rd SEA Games with the Malaysian U22 team (Photo: NST).

Kosmo newspaper commented that the Malaysian U22 team was lucky that the Indonesian U22 team was only one goal behind, resulting in the elimination of the defending SEA Games champions: "The Malaysian U22 team qualified for the semi-finals of the 33rd SEA Games after finishing as runners-up in the group stage, while the Indonesian U22 team failed to achieve a sufficiently large victory against the Myanmar U22 team."

In their final match of Group C, the Indonesian U22 team needed to win by at least three goals to surpass the Malaysian U22 team. However, a 3-1 victory at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai (Thailand) was not enough for the young Garuda team to achieve their goal.

Indonesia U22 equalized after being 0-1 down thanks to a goal from Firmansyah, before Jens Raven scored a brace. However, they still lacked the goal difference needed to overtake Malaysia U22 in the standings.

This result means that coach Nafuzi Zain's team will face host Thailand at the Rajamangala Stadium (Bangkok) in the semi-final on December 15th. In the other semi-final, Vietnam U22 will face the Philippines U22. The winner will advance to the final, while the loser will compete for the bronze medal on December 18th.

The last time the Malaysian men's football team won a SEA Games gold medal was at the 2011 Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bao-malaysia-gui-loi-cam-on-u22-indonesia-and-u22-myanmar-20251213075338261.htm