JAKARTA – Malaysia ended their FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 campaign on a high after edging regional powerhouse Vietnam 1-0 in the third-place playoff at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium here today.
The hard-fought victory was even more significant as it ended Malaysia’s 12-year wait for a win over Vietnam, with Harimau Malaya securing their first victory against the ASEAN Hyundai Cup champions since 2014.
Tan Cheng Hoe made several changes to his starting lineup for the tournament’s final match, opting to rest Arif Aiman Hanapi and Brad Tapp.
Hong Wan, Ubaidullah Shamsul Fazili and Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar were handed starting roles as Cheng Hoe looked to refresh his squad.
Vietnam, under Kim Sang-sik, started aggressively as Williams Minh Hoang, Nguyen Hai Long and Khoa Ngo tested Malaysia’s defence early on.
However, Ubaidullah marshalled the backline well as Malaysia repeatedly denied Vietnam the breakthrough.
At the other end, Bergson da Silva remained a constant threat, with the Johor Darul Ta’zim forward repeatedly probing Vietnam’s defence.
Bergson came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 35th minute, only for his effort to be denied by Vietnam goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang.
Neither side could find the breakthrough before the interval, with the score locked at 0-0.
Cheng Hoe made his first change after the restart by introducing Syahmi Safari for Quentin Cheng before making a double substitution, bringing on Fergus Tierney and Syahir Bashah for Bergson and Hong Wan.
The changes immediately paid dividends.
Tierney broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute, putting Harimau Malaya ahead with a goal that ultimately proved decisive.
Vietnam were then handed what appeared to be a golden opportunity to level the score when Harith Haiqal was adjudged to have committed a foul inside the penalty area.
However, South Korean referee Ko Hyung-jin reviewed the incident before deciding against awarding a penalty, allowing Malaysia to maintain their slender advantage.
Vietnam continued to push for an equaliser in the closing stages, but Malaysia’s defence stood firm to secure the 1-0 victory.
The result marked Malaysia’s first win over Vietnam since 2014 while also giving Harimau Malaya third place in the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026.
More impressively, Malaysia completed the tournament without conceding a single goal, recording a remarkable 360-minute clean-sheet run throughout their campaign. – DETIK MALAYSIA
Kredit foto – FAM
About the Author
