Vietnam’s chances to advance to the final match of the 2010 Suzuki Cup are still ahead, yet slim, as they were defeated 2-0 by hosts Malaysia at the first-leg semifinal game in Kuala Lumpur Wednesday.
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| Vietnamese goalkeeper Tan Truong lies on the field after managing to stop a Malaysian attack |
After a goalless draw in the first half, Malaysian forward Mohd Safee Bin Mohd Sali scored all the two goals in the 61st and 80th minutes of the battle and sank hopes of the Vietnamese visitors to find at least a tie.
From a long and high pass launched from the midfield on the right flank, Safee chose right position to jump up and headed home an opening goal from outside the box.
Ten minutes before the final whistle of the game, Safee fixed the match with his second goal after Vietnamese goalkeeper failed to stop an attack.
The ball went to the 26-year-old, who didn’t miss the chance to cushion home a short range blast and doubled it to 2-0.
Both sides had equal performance in the first 45 minutes but hosts Malaysia extended their attacking formation to push up pressure onto the field of the visitors in the latter half.
Then Vietnam, with four key players sitting on bench for injuries and cards, were pushed back to play defensively, meaning their counterattacking prowess could not be deployed fully in the second half.
With the win, Malaysia are holding a good chance to progress to the final game of the Southeast Asian Football Championship for the first time since the inaugural tournament in 1996.
Vietnam will face Malaysia in the second-leg semifinal encounter on December 18 at Hanoi\'s My Dinh Stadium.
Indonesia and the Philippines will play their semis matches on Dec.16 and 19.