The reaction of the Malaysian coach after losing to Vietnam U22.

Nafuzi Zain said that the Malaysian U22 team tried to change things in the second half but were still powerless and accepted a 0-2 defeat against the Vietnamese U22 team in Group B of the SEA Games 33 on the evening of December 11.

Coach Nafuzi Zain admitted that his players were inferior to their Vietnamese U22 opponents. Photo: Minh Chien.

“We lost. The team lost focus, there were many poor performances, which prevented us from even getting a draw. In the first half, Malaysia left many gaps. In the second half, we changed things, and the team looked much better. I am pleased with my players' performance in the second half; we tried to score but couldn't,” Nafuzi Zain shared with the media after the defeat.

Against Vietnam U22, the Malaysian youth team conceded a goal quite early. Two goals from Hieu Minh and Minh Phuc in the first half gave Vietnam U22 a huge advantage. Vietnam U22 continued to control the game and maintained that score until the end.

Coach Zain continued: “I know your strengths well. The U22 Vietnamese players have a lot of experience; many have played at a higher level, the national team level. They give their all, are full of determination and a desire to contribute. But I won't compare my players with theirs. We still hope, waiting for the results of the remaining matches and hoping for a little luck to advance.”

After this match, U22 Malaysia finished the group stage with 3 points, temporarily ranking first among the second-placed teams at the SEA Games. They will have to wait for the result of the match between U22 Indonesia and Myanmar to know if they qualify for the semi-finals.

As for the Vietnam U22 team, Dinh Bac and his teammates secured first place in Group B and qualified for the semi-finals. The other team that also reached the semi-finals was the Philippines U22 team.

Source: https://znews.vn/phan-ung-cua-hlv-malaysia-khi-thua-trang-u22-viet-nam-post1610505.html