JAKARTA, Oct 4 (Bernama) -- Malaysia are determined to put the disappointment of missing out on the final behind them and end their FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 campaign on a high when they face Vietnam in the third-place playoff at Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium here tomorrow.
Defender Brad Tapp who made his international debut for Malaysia in this tournament, said the players were naturally disappointed to miss out on the final but remained proud of their efforts throughout the campaign and fully focused on the task ahead.
The 25-year-old Australian-Malaysian defender said the match is important as they aim to make the country proud and prove they are capable of competing with and beating the region’s best teams.
“Obviously, we’re disappointed not to be playing in the final but we’re all proud of the effort that we put in the other night (the 6-0 win over Singapore in Bandung on Thursday).
“We can only control what we do, so we’ll give everything tomorrow. Everyone is in a good frame of mind right now,” the Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) player told reporters during the team’s training session here today.
Tapp said the team had done some homework on Vietnam and would use their final training session to fine-tune their approach against one of Southeast Asia’s strongest sides.
“We know it’s not going to be easy, but we’re going to stick together, fight together and go out there and do our best. We’ve got a lot of quality players and I think we’ve shown that in this tournament. I know that we can go further and we can do a lot more,” he said.
Meanwhile, interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe believes Malaysia have enough quality to trouble Vietnam but stressed that Harimau Malaya must be clinical in front of goal.
According to Cheng Hoe, Vietnam’s defeats and defensive lapses in the tournament could offer Malaysia encouragement, although he remained wary of their pace and ability to break quickly in transition.
“We feel confident. We feel that the team is playing well. We know Vietnam are very quick in transition and they play with speed.
“We also have quality players who can control the game. We have to make use of the chances and opportunities in front of goal. We have to be very clinical, not only against Vietnam but against any team. We have to continue the way we have been playing,” the 58-year-old coach said.
Malaysia last defeated Vietnam in 2014, when Dollah Salleh’s side secured a 4-2 win in the second leg of the AFF Cup semi-final to advance 5-4 on aggregate.
Since then, Malaysia have failed to beat Vietnam in 12 meetings, losing 11 times and drawing once, including during Cheng Hoe’s previous stint as national head coach.
In their most recent encounter, Vietnam beat Malaysia 2-0 in the second leg of the ASEAN Championship semi-final in August, sending Harimau Malaya out 4-0 on aggregate.
Malaysia advanced to the third-placing playoff after finishing second in Group A with seven points, while Indonesia topped the group with a better goal difference, also on seven points.
Meanwhile, Thailand and hosts Indonesia will meet in the title showdown at the same venue tomorrow night.
-- BERNAMA