Having been fortunate enough to reach the semi-finals, the U22 Malaysia coach wants to compete for the gold medal with U22 Vietnam.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - As the last team to qualify for the semi-finals of the men's football event at the 33rd SEA Games, U22 Malaysia is not hiding its ambition to advance to the final. There, U22 Malaysia could face U22 Vietnam again.

U22 Malaysia advanced to the semi-finals after U22 Indonesia's 3-1 victory over U22 Myanmar last night (December 12). With this result, coach Nafuzi Zain's team became the best-performing second-placed team (out of 3 groups).

Malaysia U22 coach Nafuzi Zain (Photo: Bernama).

The second-placed teams in each group were Malaysia (Group B), Indonesia (C), and Timor Leste (A), each with 3 points. However, U22 Malaysia had the best goal difference, so they ranked highest. Indonesia and Timor Leste were eliminated.

After securing a place in the semi-finals, Malaysia U22 coach Nafuzi Zain said: “Our first goal at this year’s SEA Games was to reach the semi-finals. Thank God, we achieved that goal.”

"After all the ups and downs that the entire Malaysia U22 team has gone through recently, reaching the semi-finals is a blessing for us," added coach Nafuzi Zain.

Once they've reached the semi-finals, anything is possible. For the U22 Malaysia team, they don't want to stop here.

U22 Malaysia could meet U22 Vietnam again in the final (Photo: Khoa Nguyen).

Coach Nafuzi Zain enthusiastically stated: “Now, our goal is to reach the final and win a medal. Of course, I want it to be the gold medal. We are just one step away from the final. The Malaysia U22 team will fight with all their might for that.”

“I know the Thailand U22 team is very strong, especially when they play at home. This will certainly not be an easy match for the Malaysia U22 team. My players must give their all.”

"We have learned from our previous encounters with Thailand, especially from our own mistakes," said coach Nafuzi Zain.

If U22 Malaysia defeats U22 Thailand to reach the final, their opponent in the gold medal match could be U22 Vietnam. Coach Kim Sang Sik's team is considered stronger than U22 Philippines in the other semi-final of the men's football event.

I recall that at the 25th SEA Games in 2009 in Laos, the Vietnam U22 and Malaysia U22 teams also met in the group stage, and then both teams played in the final to compete for the gold medal.

The first semi-final match between Vietnam U22 and Philippines U22 will take place at 3:30 PM on December 15th. Following that, at 8:00 PM, the second semi-final will be played between Thailand U22 and Malaysia U22. Both matches will be held at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/may-man-vao-ban-ket-hlv-u22-malaysia-muon-tranh-hcv-voi-u22-viet-nam-20251213132209732.htm