Vietnam - Malaysia: A war full of fate
(Baonghean.vn) - The match between Vietnam and Malaysia in the 7th round of Group G of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Asia will be extremely important for the two teams and fans of the two countries.
Before the penultimate round, which took place on June 11, Vietnam was still at the top of Group G, with 2, 5 and 5 points ahead of UAE, Thailand and Malaysia, respectively. These are not really safe distances for Coach Park Hang-seo and his team to be sure of being present in the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Asia. Because ahead,Vietnam teamwill have to meet Malaysia (June 11) and UAE (June 15).
After losing to UAE with a score of 1-3, the opportunity for Thailand has officially disappeared and the top 2 positions in Group G will be a "love triangle" between Vietnam - UAE - Malaysia. In terms of points, Vietnam is the team with the most advantages to win a ticket to the 3rd qualifying round. However, saying that does not mean that coach Park Hang-seo and his team can "rest easy".
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| Vietnam just had an easy victory over Indonesia. Photo: Ngoc Linh |
If Malaysia wins or draws in the match on June 11, Vietnam will face the risk of losing the number 1 position in Group G to the UAE, who will host Indonesia in the match at the same time. Even if they are defeated by Malaysia, coach Park Hang-seo and his team will let their opponents reduce the gap to 2 points, while each team still has a match ahead.
Therefore, "to avoid a long night of dreams", and at the same time end Malaysia's slim chance, teacher and studentCoach Park Hang-seowill put all their efforts into the battle with this fateful opponent. A victory against the team nicknamed "the Malay Tigers" will help Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates feel more comfortable before entering the "final match of Group G" with UAE (June 15).
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| The first leg match between the two teams at My Dinh Stadium (Vietnam won 1-0). Photo: Hai Dang |
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battle line, coach Tan Cheng Hoe and his team are even more "thirsty to win". Besides the goal of winning all 3 points to light up the hope of overthrowing Vietnam or UAE, Malaysia also wants to "pay off the debt" it owed to Que Ngoc Hai and his teammates at the AFF Cup 2018 (2 losses), as well as in the first leg at My Dinh Stadium in October 2019 (0-1 loss).
Objectively speaking, Vietnam is the team that is rated higher, thanks to its stable performance and past head-to-head record. According to statistics, in the last 4 meetings, Vietnam is undefeated with 3 wins and 1 draw. Most likely, the result of the match between the 2 teams, which will take place at 11:45 p.m. on June 11 (Vietnam time), will not be too different.
It seems that coach Tan Cheng Hoe and his team and Malaysian football fans will have to wait a long time (maybe) to enjoy the joy of victory over Vietnam./.