PLAYERS NOT AGGRESSIVE, GIVE TOO MUCH SPACE TO VIETNAM - MOHD NAFUZI

By Ahmad Nazrin Syahmi Mohamad Arif

BANGKOK, Dec 11 (Bernama) -- The Harimau Muda squad did not play aggressively and failed to match the strength of Vietnam after losing 0-2 in the final Group B match of the men's football competition at the 2025 Thailand SEA Games at Rajamangala National Stadium here, today.

Mohd Nafuzi said the disappointing defeat was due to the players giving too much space to the opponent, especially in the first half which saw Vietnam score two goals.

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"We are very disappointed because we only wanted to draw to reach the semi-finals but in the last group match we were not too aggressive and gave the opponent a lot of space and conceded two easy goals.

"In the second half, tactical changes were made and there was an improvement but it still did not give the result (goals) we wanted," he said at a press conference after the match.

In today's clash, Vietnam opened the scoring in the 11th minute through a header by Nguyen Hieu Minh before Pham Minh Phuc doubled the lead in the 22nd minute.

The defeat saw Malaysia finish the group stage in second place with three points, while Vietnam emerged as group champions with six points to confirm an automatic slot to the semi-finals.

Malaysia, who are now hoping to qualify for the semi-finals through the best runner-up slot, will have to wait for the result of the final match of Group C between Indonesia and Myanmar tomorrow.

"For me, we need to qualify through our own efforts but maybe not luck, (Malaysia's) chances are not 100 per cent closed but have to depend on other teams," said Mohd Nafuzi.

For the record, Malaysia was eliminated at the group stage in the 2023 edition in Cambodia and lost in the bronze medal match in the 2021 edition in Hanoi.

The last time the national squad stood on the podium was when they won the silver medal in the 2017 edition in Kuala Lumpur.

-- BERNAMA