The difficult task of the 'Malay Tigers'

The situation in Group A of the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship is very tense before the final match. All three teams Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia still have a chance to qualify for the semi-finals.

Host Indonesia is currently leading the group with 6 points (+9 goal difference), U.23 Philippines is second with 3 points (+1 goal difference), U.23 Malaysia is third with 3 points (+4 goal difference, behind Philippines because of losing the direct match), and U.23 Brunei has lost all 2 matches and has been eliminated early. In theory, U.23 Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia all still have a chance to continue.

Haqimi Azim is an expected striker in the U.23 Malaysia attack - PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

The highlight of today's match, July 21 (8:00 p.m.), is the match between U.23 Indonesia and U.23 Malaysia. The team from the archipelago country is currently very likely to win a ticket to the semi-finals. Coach Gerald Vanenburg's students only need to draw with U.23 Malaysia to be sure to enter the next round as group leader. On the other hand, the surprising 0-2 defeat to U.23 Philippines has put U.23 Malaysia in a difficult position. In the final match, the team nicknamed "the Malay Tigers" must defeat U.23 Indonesia by a difference of 2 goals or more to have any hope of participating in the round for the 4 strongest teams of the U.23 Southeast Asia 2025 tournament.

Based on what has happened, U.23 Indonesia is rated higher than U.23 Malaysia. The team from the archipelago country has a balanced force and also has the advantage of playing at home. Coach Gerald Vanenburg has many good players, notably the naturalized striker of Dutch origin Jens Raven (scored 6 goals against U.23 Brunei, leading the list of top scorers of the tournament). U.23 Indonesia also has a diverse playing style, including a powerful throw-in into the penalty area that is very annoying. It was Robi Darwis's throw-in like a free kick that helped U.23 Indonesia win dramatically 1-0 against U.23 Philippines. However, the players and coaching staff of U.23 Malaysia have had time to study carefully, so they will certainly have a plan to deal with the home team's tricks.

Although U.23 Malaysia is at a disadvantage in the race for a semi-final ticket, it is difficult to predict when they have nothing left to lose. Malaysia's weakness lies in the ability to take advantage of opportunities and counter-attack, demonstrated in the two matches against the Philippines and Brunei. If they can improve the above, especially in finishing, coach Nafuzi Zain's team can completely make a difference against U.23 Indonesia.

In the remaining match of the final round of Group A, U.23 Philippines is likely to easily win U.23 Brunei. At this point, Coach James McPherson's team is also considered to have a good chance of advancing. In the U.23 Southeast Asian tournament, the 3 group winners and the second-placed team with the best record will advance to the semi-finals. When comparing the records of the second-placed teams, the match result between the second-placed team in Group A and the last-placed team in Group A will not be counted, because Groups B and C only have 3 teams.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhiem-vu-kho-cua-nhung-chu-ho-malay-185250720211228701.htm