Malaysia Facing Uphill Battle After 2-0 First-Leg Defeat to Vietnam in ASEAN Cup Semi-Final

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 — Harimau Malaya face a daunting challenge to reach the 2026 ASEAN Cup final after suffering a 2-0 defeat to defending champions Vietnam in the first leg of their semi-final clash at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Cheras tonight.

A diving header from Nguyen Xuan Son five minutes into first-half stoppage time and an 86th-minute own goal by defender Muhammad Faris Danish Asrul handed the three-time regional champions a commanding lead heading into Wednesday’s return leg at My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi.

Interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe’s side matched the visitors during an evenly contested opening 30 minutes before generating the night’s first major scoring opportunity in the 35th minute. Faris Danish delivered a low cross that was parried by Vietnam goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang, but midfielder Daryl Sham K. George fired the rebound high over the crossbar.

Vietnam intensified their attack late in the first half, with Xuan Son attempting an acrobatic strike that drifted wide to the left, while winger Nguyen Dinh Bac saw his long-range attempt caught by Malaysian custodian Muhammad Azri Ab Ghani. The Golden Dragons finally broke the deadlock in the fifth minute of first-half injury time when Xuan Son connected with Truong Tien Anh’s cross to power a diving header past Azri.

Coach Kim Sang Sik’s team nearly doubled their advantage seconds after the restart, but Azri parried Nguyen Tai Loc’s initial effort before substitute defender Ahmad Aysar Hadi Mohd Shapri blocked Xuan Son’s follow-up strike.

Vietnam weathered a dramatic moment in the 61st minute when goalkeeper Patrik was shown a straight red card for a challenge outside the penalty area on naturalized forward Mohamadou Sumareh. However, referee Lutfullin Rustam overturned the sending-off following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review.

Vietnam dealt a heavy blow in the 86th minute when Faris Danish inadvertently turned Nguyen Quang Hai’s cross into his own net to double the visitors’ lead.

Despite the two-goal deficit, Malaysia continued to press forward in the closing stages. Winger G. Pavithran sent a shot wide in the 90th minute before Faris Danish saw a tight-angle strike parried away by Patrik in second-half stoppage time, leaving Harimau Malaya with a two-goal deficit to overturn in Hanoi.

–NMT