KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Malaysia have an uphill task to qualify for the final after losing 2-0 to Vietnam in the first leg of their 2026 ASEAN Cup semi-final clash at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras here tonight.
A Nguyen Xuan Son goal in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time and an own goal by Muhammad Faris Danish Asrul in the 86th minute have handed Vietnam the upper hand for Wednesday’s return leg at My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi.
The first half was almost evenly contested, although neither the Harimau Malaya, coached by interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe, nor the visitors set the pulses racing during the opening 30 minutes.
Malaysia finally fired the first salvo in the 35th minute when Vietnam goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang parried Muhammad Faris Danish Asrul’s low cross and the ball fell to midfielder Daryl Sham K. George, whose shot, however, sailed over the bar.
Vietnam then came alive towards the end of the first half, with striker Xuan Son’s acrobatic effort going wide to the left, while winger Nguyen Dinh Bac’s attempt from outside the penalty area went straight into the arms of goalkeeper Muhammad Azri Ab Ghani.
The Golden Dragons finally broke the deadlock when Xuan Son met a cross from winger Truong Tien Anh with a diving header in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time.
Less than a minute after the break, coach Kim Sang Sik’s men nearly doubled their lead, but Nguyen Tai Loc’s shot was saved by Muhammad Azri before Xuan Son’s follow-up attempt was blocked by substitute Ahmad Aysar Hadi Mohd Shapri.
Vietnam endured an anxious moment in the 61st minute when goalkeeper Patrik was shown the red card following a challenge outside the penalty area on naturalised player Mohamadou Sumareh but, luckily for them, referee Lutfullin Rustam overturned the decision after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review.
Just when Malaysia thought they could restrict the three-time champions to a slim victory, the Golden Dragons struck again, with Muhammad Faris deflecting Nguyen Quang Hai’s cross into his own net in the 86th minute.
Despite being two goals down, Cheng Hoe's men continued to push forward and came close twice late in the game.
While winger G. Pavithran’s attempt went wide in the 90th minute, Muhammad Faris’ effort from a tight angle was parried by Patrik in second-half stoppage time, leaving Malaysia with a two-goal deficit to overturn on Wednesday.
-- BERNAMA