Malaysia U22 coach: "Hopefully we will qualify for the semi-finals."

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - U22 Malaysia is at risk of elimination after losing to U22 Vietnam in Group B of the men's football tournament at the 33rd SEA Games on the afternoon of December 11th. After the match, coach Nafuzi Zain still hoped for luck to be on U22 Malaysia's side.

Vietnam U22 defeated Malaysia U22, proudly advancing to the semi-finals of the SEA Games 33.

In the final match of Group B in the men's football tournament at the 33rd SEA Games, held at the Rajamangla Stadium (Bangkok, Thailand) on the afternoon of December 11th, the Vietnam U22 and Malaysia U22 teams only needed a draw to secure their places in the semi-finals.

The U22 Malaysia coach answers questions from a Dan Tri reporter.

However, coach Kim Sang Sik's team did not enter the match with the intention of playing for a draw and quickly deployed an attacking strategy. In the 11th minute, Dinh Bac crossed the ball from the left towards the far post, and Hieu Minh, using his strength to hold off defenders, headed the ball diagonally into the net, leaving the U22 Malaysia goalkeeper rooted to the spot and giving U22 Vietnam a 1-0 lead.

Riding on their momentum, the Vietnam U22 team continued to maintain their dominant position. In the 22nd minute, Dinh Bac broke through on the left side of the midfield, penetrating the penalty area to the byline before passing the ball back to Minh Phuc, who finished into an empty net, doubling the lead to 2-0.

For the remainder of the match, the Vietnam U22 team played intelligently, focusing on ensuring safety in their own half while the Malaysia U22 team remained ineffective. Coach Kim Sang Sik's team secured a 2-0 victory and claimed first place in Group B with a perfect 6 points, advancing to the semi-finals of the men's football tournament at the 33rd SEA Games.

The fate of the U22 Malaysia team depends on the results of the U22 Thailand-U22 Singapore and U22 Indonesia-U22 Myanmar matches, hoping to secure a semi-final spot as the best second-placed team in their group. U22 Vietnam will wait for the group stage to conclude tomorrow (December 12th) to determine their semi-final opponent.

Watch SEA Games 33, stand alongside the Vietnamese Sports Delegation, in its entirety onFPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/hlv-u22-malaysia-hy-vong-chung-toi-se-gianh-ve-vao-ban-ket-20251211183339374.htm