U.23 Vietnam does not have to be too afraid of Malaysia, the match schedule is clear on…

Football is not a bridge. Therefore, the 4-1 victory over Laos cannot be used as a basis to assert that U.23 Malaysia is stronger than U.23 Vietnam, which only won 2-1 against Laos.

Why did U.23 Malaysia win big?

Compared to the match against U.23 Vietnam in the opening match of Group B, Laos played much more openly when facing Malaysia in the second match. Coach Ha Hyeok-jun's team no longer played with a large defense but actively pressed, ready to advance to look for opportunities. In the opening goal, the Lao players fought well, counterattacked quickly and took the lead. But it was this style of play that caused U.23 Laos to fail. Having spent a lot of energy due to continuous pressing, Thongkhamsavath and his teammates were exhausted, leaving many gaps. Malaysia quickly exploited this to score 4 goals, completing the comeback. In addition, the Lao players' mentality was somewhat affected by the red card as well as Samsonid's serious injury (broken leg, taken to the hospital immediately).

Dinh Bac (middle) will be much more dangerous when playing as a striker.

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

However, it must be admitted that Malaysia possesses some strengths. First is speed and physical strength. Coach Zain's students have many situations of acceleration and rushing to create danger when attacking the flanks as well as counter-attacking, demonstrated through the second and fourth goals. The young "Malaysian Tigers" are also relatively dangerous when arranging set pieces. They have central defender Moses Raj (1.83 m tall), striker Haqimi Azim (1.84 m)... who are very good at aerial combat, promising to bring many challenges to U.23 Vietnam. These are also the two players who scored in the victory over Laos. In particular, Azim is also rich in playing experience, having played for the Malaysian national team 12 times, and won the award for Best Young Player of Malaysia in the 2024-2025 season. Central defender Nhat Minh of U.23 Vietnam commented: "U.23 Malaysia is very strong, so we have to be especially careful".

Latest match schedule

U.23 Vietnam has made calculations

Both the coaching staff and the U.23 Vietnam players will have 90 minutes to sit in the stands of Rajamangala Stadium to watch the Malaysia - Laos match in person, to have a thorough analysis. Coach Kim Sang-sik will likely make some changes. Xuan Bac, who was injured and had to leave the field in the first half of the match against Laos, has returned to training. However, to avoid the risk of a relapse, the midfielder of PVF-CAND Club may be on the bench to make way for Quoc Cuong, the midfielder who performed well in the first match as well as in the V-League.

U.23 Vietnam has a chance to enter the semi-finals if it doesn't lose to Malaysia

On the offensive line, Quoc Viet and Thanh Nhan have not played well so they can be replaced and Dinh Bac will be returned to the role of striker. In the right striker position, Van Thuan or Le Viktor can be chosen. The left striker position will most likely belong to Van Khang. When the captain of U.23 Vietnam is pushed up, the left fullback position will return to Phi Hoang. On the right wing, coach Kim Sang-sik will need a card named Anh Quan. Although Minh Phuc played quite well, with an assist for Dinh Bac, when facing Malaysia, U.23 Vietnam needs more breakthroughs from Anh Quan.

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U.23 Vietnam vs U.23 Malaysia - SEA Games 33

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With those changes, U.23 Vietnam can significantly improve its attacking power. Van Khang is freed from the defensive role, promising to create sharp coordination with Dinh Bac. Fans also expect Phi Hoang and Anh Quan to launch accurate crosses to take advantage of Dinh Bac's ability to fight in the air, move in front to finish well. Although Malaysia possesses physical strength and dangerous air combat, U.23 Vietnam has every reason to be confident. Besides the individual abilities of the players, we can also rely on the resourcefulness of coach Kim Sang-sik. The Korean coach always has effective plans, and hopefully in the upcoming match, this ability will continue to be promoted.

The much awaited match takes place at 4pm on December 11.

U.23 Indonesia is likely to be eliminated early.

Facing a strong opponent, U.23 Indonesia, U.23 Philippines showed no weakness. Coach McPherson's team played resiliently, keeping a clean sheet for 90 minutes. In the 45+1 minute, Banatao scored the only goal, helping U.23 Philippines win all 3 points. This was the second consecutive win for U.23 Philippines at SEA Games 33, helping them get 6 points, top Group C and enter the semi-finals. U.23 Indonesia has no points yet, facing the risk of being eliminated early.

Literature

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u23-viet-nam-khong-phai-qua-ngai-malaysia-lich-doi-dau-da-ro-rang-vao-ngay-185251208224557449.htm