Vietnam U22 vs Malaysia U22: 2-0. A beautiful victory secures a place in the semi-finals.

On the afternoon of December 11th, the Vietnam U22 team underwent a remarkable transformation to secure a convincing 2-0 victory against Malaysia U22. This earned them the top spot in Group B and the only official ticket to the semi-finals of the SEA Games 33.

The joy of the U22 Vietnam players after scoring against Malaysia - Photo: NGUYEN KHOI

In this match, coach Kim Sang Sik made three changes to the starting lineup of the Vietnam U22 team.

Specifically, Phi Hoang came on to play left back. This pushed captain Khuat Van Khang up to play right winger in place of Thanh Nhan. Midfielder Nguyen Thai Quoc Cuong started alongside Thai Son in the center midfield, replacing Xuan Bac. The remaining change was the inclusion of Viktor Le in the starting lineup as a center forward, replacing Quoc Viet.

Coach Kim Sang Sik surprises his opponents.

With several changes to the starting lineup, the U22 Vietnam team's playing style also changed. Instead of a slow and cautious approach due to the "do or die" nature of the match, Coach Kim Sang Sik's team played aggressively and forcefully from the start. The U22 Malaysia team was probably not mentally prepared for this situation, so they appeared quite passive in defending against U22 Vietnam's attacks.

In the 11th minute, from a perfectly placed cross by Dinh Bac, Hieu Minh rose high to head the ball into the net, opening the scoring for Vietnam U22. Just over 10 minutes later, Dinh Bac continued to shine with a skillful dribble down the left flank before crossing the ball to Minh Phuc, who tapped it in to double the lead. These two beautifully orchestrated plays by Vietnam U22 were a stark contrast to their lackluster performance against Laos.

The two early goals caused the two teams' morale to shift in opposite directions. While the Vietnamese U22 team's spirits soared, allowing Coach Kim Sang Sik's squad to play better and better, the Malaysian U22 team almost completely lost their will to fight.

"The young Harimau Tigers" put up weak resistance and had almost no attacks that truly troubled the U22 Vietnam defense.

U22 Malaysia is under psychological pressure.

This defeat highlights the inexperience of U22 Malaysia coach Nafuzi Zain. The 47-year-old strategist chose an overly cautious approach to the match.

But Nafuzi Zain couldn't have imagined that the Vietnam U22 team would take such a risky and aggressive attacking approach. And after conceding two goals in just over 20 minutes, the Malaysia U22 players completely collapsed.

Coach Nafuzi Zain also lacked a "plan B" to change the course of the match and stood helplessly directing from the sidelines. The U22 Malaysia team was psychologically stifled and unable to implement their desired playing style.

Coach Nafuzi Zain's team is, of course, much stronger than Laos. However, they didn't pose any of the same difficulties for Vietnam U22 as Laos U22 did. In fact, it felt like Coach Kim Sang Sik's team played more easily and comfortably against Malaysia than against Laos.

However, the Vietnam U22 team still needs to improve in many areas if they want to aim for the gold medal. This includes being extremely precise in crucial situations, improving their finishing ability, and reducing misplaced passes in the area just before the 16.5-meter box.

If they can achieve this, coach Kim Sang Sik's team can absolutely dream of winning the gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games.

Following this victory, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) awarded the U22 Vietnam team a bonus of 600 million VND.

Today, the opponent of the Vietnam U22 team in the semi-finals will be determined.

Having advanced to the semi-finals, the Vietnam U22 team still has to wait until the Indonesia U22 vs. Myanmar match to find out who their opponent will be. Indonesia U22 still has a chance to progress if they defeat Myanmar 3-0 or win by three goals. In that case, they will secure a wildcard spot in the semi-finals as the best-performing second-placed team. Currently, Malaysia leads the ranking of best second-placed teams with 3 points and a goal difference of +1. Meanwhile, Timor Leste U22 is in second place with a goal difference of -3.

The Prime Minister congratulates the two football teams.

Immediately after the match, through the President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), Tran Quoc Tuan, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh congratulated both Vietnamese football teams on their important victory and courageous fighting spirit.

The Prime Minister acknowledged the willpower, courage, and determination of both teams, and offered words of encouragement to the coaches and their players to maintain their form and aim for the best possible results in the next round. This is a tremendous source of motivation for the players and coaching staff in their journey to achieve the highest goal in the tournament.

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HOAI DU

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/u22-viet-nam-u22-malaysia-2-0-thang-dep-lay-ve-vao-ban-ket-20251212060628828.htm