Malaysia defeats Vietnam 4-0 in third-round qualifiers
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian footballer Joao Vitor Figueiredo (centre) attempts a shot on goal against Vietnam in the second match of Group F of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Tuesday (Jun 10). - BernamaPic
BUKIT JALIL: Malaysia put on a solid performance in their 2027 Asian Cup third-round qualifiers fixture after defeating Vietnam 4-0 thanks to the help of their heritage heroes at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday (June 10).
Freshly-arrived Harimau Malaya attacker Joao Figueiredo was eager to make his mark on the pitch, coming close with several opportunities in the first half but to no avail.
But the Brazilian-born got his break in the second half, when his shot from right outside the box was deflected off Vietnam's defence and lobbed over the goalkeeper to give Malaysia the lead in the 49th minute.
Head coach Peter Cklamovski had fielded four of the five new arrivals into the team, and among them trying to make an impact was Rodrigo Holgado, who had his head bandaged for majority of the match after colliding with another player.
In the 58th minute, thanks to a stunning assist from Arif Aiman Hanapi, Holgado got his debut goal as well for Malaysia and made things difficult for Vietnam to catch up.
But Arif was not done yet as he set up another lovely assist for La'vere Corbin-Ong, who tapped the ball into the back of the net in the 66th minute and brought the lead up to 3-0 in front of 61, 512 fans at the National Stadium.
Besides Figueiredo and Holgado, Facundo Garces and Jon Irabazal also got their debut starts with the team, while Imanol Machuca got his playing minutes when subbed in for Holgado in the 72nd minute.
To put the cherry on the night's cake, enter Dion Cools to coolly make it four for Malaysia in the 88th minute.
Malaysia are currently top of Group F with six points, while Vietnam and Laos are in second and third with three points each, and Nepal sit winless at the bottom.
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