Why could the Malaysian U23 team shock Thailand? What did the coach say about the Vietnamese U23 team?

Malaysian media were extremely excited after their team's spectacular run to the semi-finals of the men's football tournament at the 33rd SEA Games, with a relaxed mindset and experience gained from the match against Vietnam U23. They believed that 'Harimau Muda' would create an upset against Thailand.

The Malaysian coach points out lessons learned from the loss to Vietnam U23.

According to U.23 Malaysia coach Nafuzi Zain, facing U.23 Thailand in the semi-finals is no stranger to "Harimau Muda" (the nickname of the Malaysian youth team). The two teams recently met in the U.23 Asian Cup qualifiers held in Pathum Thani province (Thailand).

The U23 Malaysia team is confident and relaxed, drawing on their experience from the match against U23 Vietnam. They believe they can eliminate the host team Thailand in the semi-finals of the SEA Games 33.

Photo: Nhat Thinh

"We are no strangers to them, from the U.23 Asian Qualifiers match (September, U.23 Malaysia lost narrowly 1-2). It was a very balanced and tense match, we only lost due to an avoidable goal in injury time (90+2)."

"But this time it's different. The situation and mentality of the Malaysian U23 team are very different. We are also completely relaxed after achieving our goal of reaching the semi-finals of the SEA Games 33. Our motivation is much higher now. This is the semi-final. Everyone wants a place in the final," Coach Nafuzi Zain shared with Malaysian media on December 13.

According to coach Nafuzi Zain: "We learned a lot from the 0-2 defeat against Vietnam U23 in the final match of Group B. We realized that we were too passive in the first 20 minutes of the match. We were too cautious because we overestimated Vietnam U23."

We were nervous, lacked intensity, and left too many gaps. The Vietnam U23 team punished us with a storm of attacks, easily scoring two goals within the first 25 minutes of the match. That was a crucial weakness, allowing the Vietnam U23 team to control everything on the field afterwards. They even deliberately slowed down the pace and secured the victory."

"Now, against Thailand U23, we won't let this happen again. Certainly, the approach to this semi-final match will be very different. We might play more offensively from the start and be more aggressive, regardless of the fact that they are the home team and will have great support from the fans. But we are not afraid; we are used to facing Thailand," emphasized coach Nafuzi Zain.

Could U.23 Malaysia (in yellow) and U.23 Vietnam face each other again in the SEA Games 33 final?

Photo: Nhat Thinh

Malaysia U23 will be significantly strengthened by the return of striker Haqimi Azim Rosli, who is expected to be a major boost for the team. He arrived in Bangkok on the evening of December 13th and will have at least one training session before the semi-final against Thailand U23. However, "Harimau Muda" will be without Rahman Daud, who is suspended after receiving two yellow cards.

In addition, according to Astro Arena journalist Zulhelmi Zainal Azam, the Malaysian U23 team will have striker Fergus Tierney added to their squad after December 14th, when he finishes playing in the FA Cup final between Sabah FC and Johor Darul Ta'zim.

Meanwhile, the U23 Thailand team, after their 3-0 victory over U23 Singapore on December 11th, have won both of their matches, with their best player Yotsakorn Burapha continuing to shine (scoring a total of 5 goals).

However, according to coach Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, the young "War Elephants" will need to recall players recently sent back to their clubs to best prepare for the semi-final. He also assessed that, regardless of the opponent, the semi-final at the SEA Games 33 will always be extremely difficult. Everyone wants to reach the final.

The schedule for the men's football semi-finals at the 33rd SEA Games is as follows: Semi-final 1 between Vietnam U23 and Philippines U23 at 3:30 PM; Semi-final 2 between Thailand U23 and Malaysia U23 at 8:00 PM, both taking place on December 15th at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ly-do-u23-malaysia-co-the-gay-soc-cho-thai-lan-hlv-noi-gi-ve-u23-viet-nam-185251214084156468.htm