With the cheers of a large audience, Malaysia took the initiative. In the 6th minute, the home team had their first corner kick. The ball was hung in the 5.5m area but Nguyen Filip rushed out and caught the ball.
In the 14th minute, the Vietnamese team had a chance. A gap opened up in front of Ngoc Quang after a foul by the home team's defender. However, the HAGL player could not finish in front of the open goal.
30 minutes passed, the Malaysian team, although not too tall, continuously fed the ball in from both sides. This plan did not create many breakthroughs against the solid defense of the Vietnamese team.
Vietnam team entered the match cautiously. Photo: Tam Minh. |
In the 36th minute, the Bukit Jalil stadium crowd burst into an uproar of regret after an impressive long-range shot by left-back Dion Cools. The ball went beyond Nguyen Filip's reach but hit the post. The Vietnamese team escaped defeat but suffered a loss when Thanh Chung was injured and could not continue playing. Coach Kim Sang-sik decided to send Xuan Manh in as a replacement.
In the 40th minute, Nguyen Filip's goal was threatened again, this time by a close-range header from Joao Figueiredo. The goalkeeper from the Hanoi Police Club impressed with his reflexes, saving the visitors from conceding a goal.
Nguyen Filip and his teammates are under a lot of pressure. Photo: Tam Minh. |
In the 44th minute, the red shirt defense unexpectedly made a mistake. Arif Aiman successfully stole the ball on the right wing and then escaped to face Nguyen Filip. Number 12 skillfully chipped the ball but was caught by the number 1 goalkeeper of the Vietnamese team.
The first half ended with the game in favor of Malaysia. The home team attacked quite effectively and only lacked a bit of luck to open the score. On the other hand, the Vietnamese team did not have any significant opportunities. The only highlight in the 45 minutes was the excellent performance of Nguyen Filip.
Thanh Chung played well but had to leave the field early due to injury. Photo: Tam Minh. |
At the beginning of the second half, coach Kim Sang-sik decided to send Tuan Hai onto the field to strengthen the attack. Before the Korean strategist's calculations could take effect, Nguyen Filip's net shook in the 49th minute. After Ngoc Quang lost the ball in the middle of the field, Figueiredo escaped, fired a powerful shot that hit Duy Manh and poured into the goal.
In the 59th minute, the Vietnamese team's net shook for the second time, again due to an individual error. Xuan Manh's slip created an opportunity for Aiman to escape, pass the ball to Rodrigo Julian Holgado, who rushed in and connected, defeating Nguyen Filip.
Facing a highly rated opponent, Coach Kim gave the opportunity to the naturalized star duo Nguyen Filip and Cao Pendant Quang Vinh. This was Quang Vinh's first appearance in the national team jersey, while Nguyen Filip started since the 1-1 draw with the Philippines in the ASEAN Cup.
Alongside Quang Vinh in defense are familiar names such as Tien Dung, Thanh Chung, Duy Manh, Tien Anh. The midfield duo tasked with intercepting and distributing the ball are Hoang Duc and Minh Khoa.
On the attack line, Ngoc Quang plays alongside Van Vi and Hai Long, a duo highly appreciated for their speed and technique.
Exciting atmosphere before the ball rolls. Photo: Tam Minh. |
The match between Malaysia and Vietnam is of great significance. In the Asian Cup qualifiers, only the group winners will qualify for the most prestigious continental tournament at the national team level.
Vietnam is leading Group F with 3 points and a goal difference of +5, followed by Malaysia with the same number of points but a lower goal difference (+2). The goal of coach Kim Sang-sik and his team is always 3 points when facing any opponent in the region.
Vietnam is currently on an unbeaten streak that has lasted more than a decade against Malaysia. In 8 matches against Malaysia, the "Golden Star Warriors" have won 7 and drawn only 1 match. The last time Malaysia triumphed against Vietnam was in the second leg of the 2014 AFF Cup semi-final (winning 4-2).
In this encounter, Malaysia is confident with a strong squad of naturalized players. In the list of 30 players just announced, coach Peter Cklamovski has included 17 players with foreign blood. Facundo Garces, Imanol Machuca, Rodrigo Holgado, Jon Iranzabal and Joao Figueiredo are the latest names to join the team.
Among them, there are 3 players valued at more than 1 million euros, a rare number in Southeast Asia. The presence of this group of players promises to enhance the strength of the Malaysian squad, especially in attack ability.
Source: https://znews.vn/malaysia-2-0-viet-nam-ban-thua-lien-tiep-post1559755.html
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