Malaysian newspaper praises Hai Long, extremely worried that Malaysia team will be defeated by Vietnam

'Hai Long is so good'

Malaysia's leading English daily New Straits Times wrote: "Midfielder Hai Long was so good that he contributed to the explosive game for the ASEAN All Stars team in the match against Manchester United. He had a shot that went just wide of the post in the 6th minute, almost scoring for ASEAN All Stars. 5 minutes after the above situation, Hai Long had another free kick that went over the crossbar. The player currently playing for Hanoi FC had another chance in the second half of the match, but Manchester United's reserve goalkeeper Heaton read the player's movement and prevented a goal for the English team."

Hai Long played excellently against Manchester United

Photo: Thuy An

Meanwhile, another Malaysian newspaper, The Star , commented: "Among the 72,550 spectators at Bukit Jalil Stadium (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Vietnamese player Nguyen Hai Long played outstandingly. This player had a chance at the beginning of the match, but goalkeeper Onana of Manchester United promptly blocked it. Hai Long played with great effort, while the ASEAN All Stars team surprised everyone with a 1-0 victory over the giant from the Premier League." The media of the neighboring country believes that the appearance of Hai Long will create danger for the Vietnamese team and open up opportunities for the away team when facing host Malaysia in the important match in June.

The praise that the Malaysian media has just given to Hai Long also reflects the great progress of this player in recent times. The star player of Hanoi FC played well in the V-League 2024-2025, shone for the Vietnamese team at the AFF Cup 2024 (scoring 2 goals), and now he is on the way to becoming a mainstay of the Vietnamese team, right before the decisive match with the Malaysian team. The match between the two sides will take place at Bukit Jalil Stadium on June 10, in the third qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup.

Malaysian football always craves this

Commenting on Hai Long, former VFF Vice President Duong Vu Lam said: "This player is playing more and more confidently and maturely. Of course, the match against Manchester United last night (May 28) was just a friendly match, and the opponent did not play at full strength. However, the fact that a Southeast Asian player dared to hold the ball, dribble, and shoot in front of a group of tall defenders from a famous opponent from Europe, like Hai Long did, shows the great confidence of this player. He deserves to be recognized for his spirit, technique, and courage."

The Vietnamese players are full of confidence before the decisive match with the Malaysian team.

Photo: Thuy An

The image of Hai Long is also the common image of many Vietnamese players at the present time. Hoang Duc, Van Vi, Quang Hai, Duy Manh, Thanh Chung, goalkeeper Dinh Trieu... have shown a completely different spirit at the AFF Cup 2024. After winning the Southeast Asian championship, their confidence has increased even more. The players under coach Kim Sang-sik always believe that they can succeed, can defeat all opponents in the region.

That is also what Malaysian football fears the most. The Malaysian team can naturalize many foreign-born players, but the quality of the naturalized players is something that even Malaysian experts cannot guarantee. In addition, the fact that the Malaysian team has continuously failed in international tournaments over the past many years, continuously losing to the Vietnamese team in regional competitions, has significantly reduced the confidence of the country's players. Now, Malaysian football craves the same confidence that Hai Long and the Vietnamese team have!