KUALA LUMPUR: The national Under-17 (U-17) football squad’s hopes of seeking revenge against Vietnam were dashed after losing 0-3 in the final of the ASEAN U-17 Championship on Friday night (Apr 24).
In the match held at the Gelora Delta Sidoarjo Stadium in Indonesia, Malaysia – who had previously lost to the same opponents during the group stage – failed to match the prowess of a Vietnam side that appeared more organised from start to finish.
Vietnam opened the scoring as early as the 11th minute through Quy Vuong Dao, who capitalised on a scramble inside the Malaysian penalty box manned by Adam Nurfakrullah Mohd Fadli.
The Malaysian U-17 squad, coached by Muhammad Shukor Adan, nearly equalised nine minutes later through Nur Azam Muslim Nor Hisham, but his attempt only brushed the side of the Vietnamese goal.
Van Duong Nguyen then doubled Vietnam’s lead with a goal during first-half injury time, further strengthening the position of Cristiano Roland’s side.
Moving into the second half, Tri Dung Tran successfully beat the offside trap before delivering a pass to Van Duong for Vietnam’s third goal in the 55th minute, effectively ending Malaysia’s dreams of being crowned champions. – BERNAMA
