logo
Vietnam coach says Malaysia tough to analyse ahead of Asian Cup qualifier clash

Vietnam coach says Malaysia tough to analyse ahead of Asian Cup qualifier clash

Malay Maila day ago

KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — Vietnam head coach Kim Sang Sik is finding it difficult to analyse the Harimau Malaya's game ahead of their second Group F match in the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here tomorrow night.
The South Korean coach said that this was due to the composition of head coach Peter Chlamovski's Malaysian squad, which has a mix of local, naturalised and heritage players.
'I think it will be a difficult match. From what I know, Malaysia have 18 players in the squad and there are five new faces for the game against Vietnam.'
'It's true, we are having a hard time evaluating their players, there is not much information for us, but we are preparing well. We aim to be ready and put up a strong performance tomorrow,' he told a pre-match press conference here today.
The 48-year-old coach was referring to the inclusion of five new heritage players in the Harimau Malaya squad — forwards Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca and Joao Figueiredo; and defenders Jon Irazabal and Facundo Garces.
Their arrival completes the list of seven heritage players in the national team this year, following the earlier inclusion of midfielder Hector Hevel and defender Gabriel Palmero.
Meanwhile, Golden Star Warriors captain Do Duy Manh also believes that the presence of these heritage players in the Malaysian squad will make tomorrow's match a tough one, despite his team's favourable head-to-head record against the Harimau Malaya.
'There are many foreign players. They are very good players. Tomorrow's match will not be easy for us, but we have our goals and determination. This match won't be like 2018. Malaysia have a new coach and a new squad,' he said.
Duy Manh was, of course, referring to the 2018 Asean Football Federation (AFF) Cup final where he helped Vietnam defeat Malaysia 3-2 on aggregate.
Vietnam and Malaysia currently share the top spot in Group F with three points each after winning their opening matches.
For the record, Malaysia last defeated Vietnam 4-2 in the semi-finals of the 2014 AFF Cup in Hanoi and, since then, have lost seven times and drawn once against the Golden Star Warriors across all competitions.
'This will be the most important match, (and) could be the most difficult match to advance to the 2027 Asian Cup. We will do our best to win tomorrow's match. If we can play to our strengths, like playing as a team and attacking as a unit, we can get the points,' said Duy Manh. — Bernama

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Heritage-powered Harimau rip apart Vietnam
Heritage-powered Harimau rip apart Vietnam

New Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • New Straits Times

Heritage-powered Harimau rip apart Vietnam

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia showed they meant business in their Asian Cup campaign by thrashing Vietnam 4-0 in a Group F qualifer at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Friday No one was expecting this kind of score, not when Malaysia had not beaten Vietnam in the last 11 years. But world No 109 Vietnam, the so-called powerhouses of Southeast Asia, were ripped apart by world No 132 Malaysia. The Red Star Warriors were sunk by goals from Joao Figueiredo (49th minute), Rodrigo Holgado (59th), La'vere Corbin Ong (67th) and Dion Cools (88th) Malaysia, who beat Nepal 2-0 in their opening match, now top Group F with two wins. The new-look Harimau Malaya, coached by Peter Cklamovski, saw new heritage players - Figueiredo, Holgado, Jon Irazabal and Facundo Garces earning their first cap for Malaysia, while Imanol Machuca was on the bench. Malaysia listed nine heritage players for the match, including Dion Cools, Corbin Ong, Matthew Davies, Hector Hevel and Nooa Laine. The two 'local boys' in the squad were Arif Aiman Hanapi and goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi. Cklamovski's men started the match brightly but Vietnam managed to play a composed game to frustrate the hosts in front of 61,512 supporters. The tide changed for Malaysia in the 38th minute after Vietnam lost their influential defender Nguyen Thanh Chung due to an injury and they started to lose their composure. The floodgates finally broke in the second half as nervy Vietnam could not stem Malaysia's pressure. The Brazil-born Figuerido broke the deadlock from a deflected effort in the 59th minute and it brought confidence to the Malaysia team. Nippy midfielder Arif Aiman provided the assist for Malaysia's second goal for Holgado in the 59th minute and for the third goal by Corbin in the 67th minute.

Malaysia defeats Vietnam 4-0 in third-round qualifiers
Malaysia defeats Vietnam 4-0 in third-round qualifiers

The Star

timean hour ago

  • The Star

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.

Stay hungry for LA28: Rexy tells doubles aces despite recent success
Stay hungry for LA28: Rexy tells doubles aces despite recent success

Malay Mail

time4 hours ago

  • Malay Mail

Stay hungry for LA28: Rexy tells doubles aces despite recent success

PUTRAJAYA, June 10 — The success garnered by several national doubles players should not make them too comfortable to the point of affecting their performance. That was among the reminders given by the national doubles coaching director, Rexy Mainaky, to his charges given that they still have many tournaments to go and they still have a lot to catch up, besides having to work harder in their efforts to pursue the bigger dream, which is the Los Angeles 2028 (LA28) Olympic Games. 'If we talk about satisfaction, we should appreciate what the players have done with satisfaction. 'But we must remember not to let that satisfaction cause us to be complacent because there are still many tournaments and the Olympics is still far away,' he said when met after the Road To Gold meeting at Menara Kementerian Belia dan Sukan (KBS) here today. Earlier, two men's doubles pairs, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, displayed impressive performances in several recent tournaments they participated in. For Chia and Soh, they managed to win three titles in three months, namely the Asian Badminton Championships in April, the Thailand Open (May) and the Singapore Open earlier this month, while Man and Tee won the Malaysian Masters. In addition, the national women's doubles pair of Pearly Tan-M Thinaah were also no less impressive when they won the Thailand Open. Meanwhile, Rexy also expressed his gratitude to the RTG committee, especially to the Minister of Youth and Sports Hannah Yeoh who started the programme early. 'I think we are the first country to prepare for LA28 by establishing the RTG programme. For me this is a positive development for the RTG athletes,' he said. — Bernama

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store