Malaysia is under pressure from domestic media, demanding to beat Vietnam

TPO - In a recent article by the New Straits Times, they said that this is the right time for Malaysia to defeat the Vietnam national team. A victory will help them prove that the naturalization policy is correct.

First, the publication said that Malaysia’s squad is not much inferior to Indonesia’s, as they also have high-class naturalized players. “Malaysian football fans are probably jealous as they watch their neighbours Indonesia move closer to their World Cup dream after a 1-0 win over China to book their place in the final qualifying round,” wrote the New Straits Times.

The whole of Indonesia exploded in joy after Garuda secured a pivotal victory, taking them to fourth place in Group C. With what is happening, fans of the archipelago could see their team make their first appearance at the World Cup since gaining independence in 1945.

Looking at Indonesia’s success, Malaysian fans must be feeling sad. Malaysia used to play better than Indonesia in the 1970s and 1980s, winning the AFF Cup, but was always eliminated early in the World Cup qualifiers. To be on par with its neighbours, Malaysia had no choice but to become naturalised. While Indonesia launched a campaign to recruit players of Dutch, Belgian or English origin, Malaysia is also “turning on its radar” all over the world to hunt for talents with Malaysian blood in them.

Figueiredo is Basaksehir's top scorer

The campaign that the Tigers have launched has brought in a series of stars. They include Facundo Garces, a central defender playing in La Liga, Joao Figueiredo, a striker who scored 12 goals in all competitions for Basaksehir last season, and Imanol Machuca, a winger for Velez Sarfield (Argentina National Championship). This has helped to raise the value of Malaysia to surpass that of Vietnam. Currently, the entire Malaysian squad is worth 10 million euros, while Vietnam is only 6 million.

The Malaysian publication believes that with a much stronger squad than before, it is time for the Tigers to end their 11-year drought against Vietnam. “Malaysia should not lose to Vietnam. The team must win to secure a place in the 2027 Asian Cup and a win over Vietnam will solidify their position in Group F.”

Dang Lai

Source: https://tienphong.vn/malaysia-is-under-pressure-from-the-national-media-and-requires-it-to-stop-vietnam-post1749074.tpo