KUALA LUMPUR: Harimau Malaya head coach Peter Cklamovski remained proud of the fighting spirit shown by the national team despite their 1-3 defeat to Vietnam in their final Group F match of the Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers at Thien Truong Stadium in Nam Dinh, on Tuesday night.
Cklamovski said that, overall, based on performances on the pitch, Malaysia deserved to qualify on merit but admitted that off-field factors had ultimately affected the team’s chances.
“On merit, on the field, we deserve to qualify. However, off the field is where we’ve been hurt. So when you put that into the equation of how the players feel, how they fight, and how they performed tonight away from home in front of a sell-out crowd, I couldn’t be prouder of them.
“They did it for themselves, their families, for the nation of Malaysia and they did it for the next generation. They are truly an inspiration for Malaysia,” he told the post-match press conference.
In Tuesday night’s encounter, goals from captain Do Duy Manh and a brace by naturalised forward Nguyen Xuan Son put the hosts in control before substitute Endrick Dos Santos scored from a penalty for Malaysia.
Reflecting on the match, Cklamovski said his side showed encouraging attacking intent, particularly in the first half, but failed to capitalise on key chances.
“In the first half, I thought after conceding early, there was a great response from our players. We created some really good moments and had opportunities to bring the game back to 1-1.
“That would have been a game-changing moment, but credit to Vietnam because they took their chances. Their big Brazilian made a match-defining impact and finished well.
“We had four or five really good chances to put the ball in the back of the net, and these are the moments that change football games,” the Australian tactician said.
Vietnam sealed top spot and qualification with 18 points, followed by Malaysia in second place (nine points), Laos in third (six points) and Nepal at the bottom with three points.
Malaysia’s hopes of qualifying for the Asian Cup Finals on merit for a second consecutive time were dashed after being handed points deduction by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Recently, the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee found that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) had breached Article 56 of the AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Code for fielding ineligible players in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers against Nepal and Vietnam last year. – BERNAMA
