This match promises to bring difficulties and challenges to the "Golden Star Warriors" so it requires the whole team to focus and play their best to achieve a good result.
Big challenge
The final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup will only allow the top team from each group to advance. In Group F, compared to Nepal and Laos, Malaysia is considered to be the biggest rival of the Vietnamese team in competing for the only place to advance.
Both Vietnam and Malaysia won their opening matches, so the match at Bukit Jalil is crucial for both teams’ chances of advancing. More than ever, the Malaysian team sees this match as the best chance to defeat Vietnam, thereby creating a huge advantage in the race for a place in the next round of this group.
Determined to beat the Vietnamese team, the home team decided to hold this match at Bukit Jalil Stadium with a capacity of 85,500 seats instead of Sultan Ibrahim Stadium with a capacity of 40,000 fans like in the victory over Nepal in the first match.
Bukit Jalil is the largest stadium in Southeast Asia and the fourth largest in Asia, nicknamed the “fire pan” because of the enthusiasm of the fans. They covered the stadium in black and yellow - the traditional colors of the national team, then jumped, shouted and created such a loud sound that the players could not even hear any instructions from the coaching staff.
The Malaysian team expects home fans to turn Bukit Jalil into a sea of yellow and black to create a vibrant atmosphere, "fueling" the home team, while creating great pressure and tension for the away team.
In the history of confrontation, the Vietnamese team has won 15 matches against Malaysia, drawn 3 and lost 5. Of which, 4/5 of the "Golden Star Warriors" losses came from away matches on the opponent's field.
The last time Vietnam lost at Bukit Jalil was at the 2012 AFF Cup, when the defending champions were defeated 0-2. The last time Vietnam visited Bukit Jalil was the first leg of the 2018 AFF Cup semi-final, when the team led by coach Park Hang-seo took a 2-goal lead but was still tied 2-2 by their opponents.
Coach Kim Sang-sik led the ASEAN All-Stars to a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Bukit Jalil in late May, so he understands the challenge facing visiting teams.
“We have experienced playing under great pressure from the crowd at Rajamangala Stadium in Thailand in the second leg of the 2024 AFF Cup final. Playing at Bukit Jalil, I think it is important for the players to believe in themselves, their teammates and the coaching staff to overcome the pressure and aim for the best result,” said coach Kim Sang-sik.
Determined to win
In order to defeat the Vietnamese team and win a ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup, the Malaysian team has strengthened its strength by naturalizing and calling up players of Malaysian origin who are playing abroad. The “Harimau Tigers” have just added 4 more naturalized players: Imanol Machuca, Rodrigo Holgado (Argentina), Joao Figueiredo (Brazil) and Jon Irazabal (Spain).
Before that, they had Facundo Garces (Argentina) and a number of Malaysian players playing in Australia, England, Argentina, Belgium and Finland. On the coaching bench, coach Peter Cklamovski is bringing a new breeze to the Malaysian team. With a quality squad of naturalized and Malaysian players, the Australian strategist only needs to add excellent local players, help them integrate well and will create a formidable team.
Meanwhile, the Vietnamese team is facing great difficulties in terms of personnel when many key players are absent due to injuries such as striker Van Toan, Xuan Son, Vi Hao, Cong Phuong, midfielder Ngoc Tan, defenders Van Thanh, Thanh Binh and Viet Anh. With the current situation, just sharing points at Bukit Jalil is also an acceptable result because the Vietnamese team still has to play Malaysia in the second leg at home.
However, coach Kim Sang-sik still believes that his players will do better. “All matches are very stressful, but the joy will be doubled when we overcome difficulties and win. I always believe that the players will unite and make efforts to overcome challenges. Although the qualifying round is played in a round-robin format, we do not want to drop any points and aim to win all 3 points in the next match. In general, victory is always the highest goal of the Vietnamese team,” the Korean strategist expressed.
For his part, captain Do Duy Manh affirmed: “Before the match against Malaysia, my teammates and I are determined to achieve the best results. It will not be an easy match at Bukit Jalil Stadium, but we will promote the strength of solidarity, follow the strategy from the coaching staff, and prepare carefully for a successful match.”
Similarly, midfielder Nguyen Hai Long also expressed his determination: “We respect our opponents, but the most important thing is the preparation and desire of the Vietnamese team to extend their unbeaten streak against Malaysia. This is a key and important match. The whole team is focusing on achieving the best result in this match. Playing away from home is always difficult, but the whole team will concentrate to the fullest, determined to win 3 points.”
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/vuot-kho-tai-chao-lua-bukit-jalil-141323.html
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