U23 Vietnam - U23 Malaysia: The bravery of the 'king'

Teacher and studentCoach Park Hang-seoU23 Malaysia were going to face U23 Thailand in the semi-finals when a surprise happened in the last match of Group B. The 2-2 draw with U23 Cambodia and the 1-0 win over U23 Laos by U23 Thailand forced U23 Malaysia to face the home team in the last 4 (the second semi-final match was between U23 Thailand and U23 Indonesia).

While U23 Vietnam and U23 Thailand can breathe a sigh of relief, coach Brad Maloney and his team feel extremely disappointed. Because having to meet coach Park Hang-seo and his team earlier than expected will affect U23 Malaysia's ability to advance further in the men's football event of the 31st Sea Games. Simply put, U23 Vietnam is both the host team and the defending champion.

Will Captain Do Hung Dung score again for U23 Vietnam? Photo: Hai Hoang

Despite a rather difficult start in the group stage, do not underestimate the strength of the red team. At least in the squad.U23 VietnamThere are still quality faces, stars who can turn the situation around with just one kick like Do Hung Dung, Nguyen Hoang Duc and Nguyen Tien Linh - 3 players over 23 years old.

According to some experts, the reason why U23 Vietnam played unconvincingly in the group stage was due to the way coach Park Hang-seo calculated the performance points. Therefore, it will not be surprising to see Do Hung Dung and his teammates play brilliantly and enthusiastically against U23 Malaysia in the match taking place at 7pm tomorrow, May 19, at Viet Tri Stadium, Phu Tho.

In addition to the home field advantage, U23 Vietnam is also rated higher than U23 Malaysia in terms of squad quality. It should be noted that to the 31st Sea Games, U23 Malaysia did not bring 3 players over 23 years old as stipulated by the Organizing Committee. Obviously, battle experience is something that coach Brad Maloney's students cannot compare with Do Hung Dung and his teammates.

Experience is what the U23 Malaysian players (in yellow shirts) lack. Photo: Doc Lap

Having to play against the home team, in a crucial match, it was difficult for the U23 Malaysia players to show their full potential. The proof is that in the important match against U23 Cambodia or U23 Singapore, Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi and his teammates could not win all 3 points. That was the reason why U23 Malaysia lost the top spot in Group B to U23 Thailand.

In short, with a young squad and a rather innocent playing style, Coach Brad Maloney's students will hardly avoid a defeat against U23 Vietnam, a team that will receive the support of nearly 30,000 spectators. It seems that U23 Vietnam will have the third time defeating U23 Malaysia in the semi-finals at the Sea Games arena. The previous two victories were at the 22nd Sea Games in 2003 (4-3) and the 23rd Sea Games in 2005 (2-1)./.