Winning against Malaysia, Vietnam team has many chances to enter the third qualifying round of World Cup 2022 in Asia

In the 81st minute, after entering the field for a few minutes, Van Toan moved into the penalty area to receive a pass from his teammate and fell. The referee determined that it was a foul, meaning a penalty.

On the 11m mark, captain Que Ngoc Hai made no mistake with a powerful kick that hit goalkeeper Farizal. This was the goal that sealed the 2-1 score for the Vietnamese team.

Captain Que Ngoc Hai celebrates the goal that sealed the 2-1 win for the Vietnam national team. Photo: thethaovanhoa.vn

It can be said that the victory was hard-won for the Vietnamese team, because compared to Indonesia - the opponent in the previous match, Malaysia is a team with a much higher level. This team has superior physique, fitness and technique, and importantly, still has the motivation to win to keep the dream of continuing in the World Cup qualifiers alive. Therefore, they played with great determination and caused many difficulties for Coach Park Hang-seo's students.

For the Vietnamese national team, in this match, coach Park Hang-seo replaced 5 players in the starting lineup compared to the match against Indonesia. Without the central midfielders who started in the previous match, Quang Hai (suspended) and Tuan Anh (injured), the Korean coach introduced a brand new central midfielder pair, Xuan Truong - Hoang Duc. On the two wings, Van Thanh and Hong Duy gave way to two familiar names, Trong Hoang and Van Hau. On the attack line, Cong Phuong replaced Van Toan to support striker Tien Linh with Van Duc.

In the first minutes of the match, both teams started the match cautiously. However, as the match progressed, the Vietnamese team, although holding the ball less, had sharper attacks and clearer opportunities. By the 27th minute, after missed opportunities by Tien Linh and Van Duc, the red team had the lead.

Van Duc missed a chance to score from a shot outside the penalty area. Photo: bongdaplus.vn

From a corner kick on the left wing by Xuan Truong, receiving the ball cleared by the Malaysian defender, Van Hau headed the ball into Tien Linh who was waiting in the middle of the penalty area. In a position without being pressed, the highest striker of the Vietnamese national team calmly headed the ball into the net of goalkeeper Farizal. This was Tien Linh's 4th goal in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Tien Linh scored in two consecutive matches for the Vietnam national team. Photo: vnexpress.net

After conceding the goal, the Malaysian team tried their best to attack in search of an equalizer. But it was not until the 38th minute that they had their first clear chance. After a cross from the right wing, a player in yellow escaped the Vietnamese team’s defenders and headed the ball close to the goal. Fortunately for the Vietnamese team, goalkeeper Tan Truong had excellent reflexes and pushed the ball away with his fingertips.

In the first half's extra time, the Malaysian team was awarded a direct free kick on the left wing. Safawi Rasid - who had scored a free kick against goalkeeper Van Lam in the first leg of the AFF Cup 2018 final - took his signature left-footed shot into the far corner, but Tan Truong dived to make an excellent save. That was also the last notable situation in the first half.

In the second half, the game remained unchanged. Malaysia continued to dominate possession but Vietnam was the team with clear opportunities. One of them belonged to Cong Phuong with a very fast dribble, overcoming the Malaysian defender but the Nghe An striker finished with his left foot, sending the ball wide of the post.

In the 65th minute, from the middle of the field, Hoang Duc suddenly dribbled the ball past a series of Malaysian players and then passed it accurately to Trong Hoang to run down and face goalkeeper Farizal. Unfortunately, the veteran of the Vietnam national team finished inaccurately with his left foot.

Cong Phuong played aggressively during his time on the field. Photo: bongdaplus.vn

Unable to score another goal to widen the gap, Vietnam had to pay the price in the 72nd minute. After Van Hau's aerial challenge with striker De Paula in the penalty area, the referee determined that Vietnam's number 5 defender had committed a foul. On the 11m mark, De Paula kicked the ball very hard into the net even though Tan Truong had dived in the right direction.

After the equalizer, Coach Park Hang-seo made a series of changes, bringing Van Toan and Duc Chinh onto the field to replace Trong Hoang and Tien Linh. And these changes brought results with the ball leading to a penalty kick for Que Ngoc Hai to accurately execute in the 81st minute.

Vietnamese fans occupy a corner of the Al Maktoum stadium stands. Photo: vnexpress.net

In the last 10 minutes of the match, Vietnam held the ball firmly, not giving the Malaysian players any chance to get close to goalkeeper Tan Truong’s goal. The red team also made many quick attacks and dangerous long-range shots but no more goals were scored.

With a 1-2 loss in this match, the Malaysian team was officially eliminated from the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese team continues to maintain a 2-point gap with the UAE - the team that defeated the Indonesian team with a score of 5-0 in the match at the same time. In the final match of the second qualifying round in Asia against this opponent, only a draw is needed for the Vietnamese team to win the top spot in the group. If they lose, the Vietnamese team still has a chance to enter the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Asia - an unprecedented achievement in the history of Vietnamese football./.

Starting lineup

Vietnam:Tan Truong, Duy Manh, Que Hai, Tien Dung, Van Hau, Xuan Truong, Trong Hoang, Cong Phuong, Hoang Duc, Van Duc, Tien Linh.

Malaysia:Farizal, Davies, Cools, Aidil Zafuan, Safawi Rasid, Sumareh, Syamer Kutty, Brendan Gan, De Paula, Syafiq Ahmad, Corbin Ong.

Goals: Tien Linh (27'), Ngoc Hai (81'-pen) - De Paula (72')