Monday, December 8, 2014

VIETNAM TAMED MALAYSIAN TIGERS

AFF SUZUKI CUP: MALAYSIA 1 - VIETNAM 2

Vietnam seized control of their AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final against Malaysia as a fine second-half strike by Nguyen Van Quyet earned them a come-from-behind 2-1 win in the first leg at Shah Alam Stadium on Sunday.

​Both teams had key players ruled out through suspension with captain Shukor Adan and forward Amri Yahyah missing for the home side and midfielder Vu Minh Tuan banned for Vietnam. The visitors made a vibrant start and should have taken the lead after only five minutes when Le Cong Vinh fed an unmarked Ngo Hoang Thinh who curled the ball narrowly wide from the edge of the Malaysia box.

​Malaysia struggled with the pace of the Vietnamese attack early on but took the lead through a Safiq Rahim penalty after 14 minutes. Vo Huy Toan netted a deserved equaliser in the 32nd minute after a fine counter-attack for the visitors. Van Quyet then fired home the winner on the hour to give his side a precious advantage to take into the return match in Hanoi on Thursday. The victory puts Vietnam firmly in the driving seat in the semi-final and coach Toshiya Miura was clearly delighted by his side's resilient display. Malaysia have much work to do in the return leg where they will need to score at least twice to avoid elimination.


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