Malaysian Newspaper: "Vietnam proves its number one status in the region"
The New Straits Times newspaper said that the 67-rank difference between the two teams on the FIFA scoreboard was shown at My Dinh on the evening of November 16.
"Malaysia entered the cave of the Golden Dragons (nickname for Vietnam) in Hanoi with the aim of bringing home at least a point," the match summary aboveNST"But Vietnam is still the 102nd FIFA team and number one in the region. They won't let a 169th FIFA team like Malaysia leave unscathed."
Striker Nguyen Anh Duc was the brightest player in the match when he contributed to Cong Phuong's opening goal in the 11th minute. In the 60th minute, he broke the offside trap and scored a cross-corner shot to seal a 2-0 victory.
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Cong Phuong (number 14) celebrates the opening goal. This is his fifth goal against a Malaysian team at all levels. Photo:Duc Dong. |
SheetThe Starexpressed disappointment when the home team did not create any notable opportunities in the article: "With 66% possession, Malaysia still lost 0-2 to Vietnam".
"Malaysia had no way to penetrate the Vietnamese defense. The home team maintained a calm mentality throughout the match. They deployed the ball quickly and effectively despite only having possession for 34% of the match. Coach Tan Cheng Hoe's team invaded the field but Vietnam had reasonable tactics and a tight zonal defense system," the article said.
Agreeing with the above comments is the football page.inikanbola: "Vietnam were sharper in the match and won 2-0 in the third round of Group A of the AFF Cup. Malaysia pressed the field but lacked dangerous penetration. Meanwhile, Vietnam took advantage of the opportunities when counter-attacking."
The victory over Malaysia helped Vietnam move up one place on the FIFA instant scoreboard. If they maintain their winning streak in the group stage, coach Park Hang-seo and his team can enter the world top 100 on the FIFA scoreboard in December 2018.
