Harimau Muda Fall 0-2 To Vietnam, Semifinal Path Grows Tougher

From Ahmad Nazrin Syahmi Mohamad Arif

BANGKOK, Dec 11 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s hopes of sealing early qualification to the semi-finals were dashed after a 0-2 defeat to Vietnam in their final Group B match of the men’s football competition at the Thailand 2025 SEA Games at the Rajamangala National Stadium here today.

Vietnam opened the scoring in the 11th minute through Nguyen Hieu Minh, who headed in a lofted cross from Nguyen Dinh Bac on the left.

The 2019 and 2021 gold medallists doubled their lead in the 22nd minute when Pham Minh Phuc fired in a close-range shot that the Malaysian defence failed to clear.

Harimau Muda attempted a second-half resurgence with a more organised display, but several clear chances went begging as the match ended 0-2.

The defeat saw Mohd Nafuzi Zain’s charges finish second in the group with three points, while Vietnam topped the standings with six points to secure the automatic semi-final slot.

Malaysia, now relying on qualification via the best runners-up route, must await the result of tomorrow’s final Group C match between Indonesia and Myanmar.

The Philippines are the only team to have confirmed a semi-final berth so far after securing two wins to top Group C.

For the record, Malaysia exited as early as the group stage at the 2023 edition in Cambodia after losing in the bronze-medal playoff at the 2021 edition in Hanoi.

The last time the national squad reached the podium was in 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, when they won the silver medal.

-- BERNAMA