HANOI: The national Under-23 team have no fear about facing 31st SEA Games hosts and reigning champions Vietnam in the men’s football semi-final at the Viet Tri Stadium in the Phu Tho Province tomorrow.
Harimau Muda skipper Muhammad Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi said he and his teammates are hell-bent on beating Vietnam, who are trained by Park Hang Seo, and sealing a place in the final.
He said one should not use Malaysia’s runner-up finish in Group B, where they did not lose a single match, as a yardstick for tomorrow’s game.
“For me, the semi-final is different from the group matches because we are more determined. I have faith in my teammates and we can spring a surprise.
“We are banking on the support of all parties and, together with the prayers of our parents as well as all Malaysians, we can do our best for the nation. We will give it out everything to qualify for the final,” he said when contacted by Bernama here.
Meanwhile, national Under-23 head coach Brad Maloney said he intends to guide the team all the way to the final, though he hopes they can avoid the dreaded penalty shootout.
“Of course, we want to go as far as possible in this tournament and I don’t think anybody wants to play more than 90 minutes... we want to settle the match in regulation time,” he said at the pre-match press conference today.
Commenting on Vietnam’s strength, Maloney said Hang Seo’s squad, who have been strengthened by the inclusion of three overaged players, were a quality outfit but it won’t deter his side from trying to overcome the hosts.
“We are the youngest team in the semi-finals, so we have to be at our best. We noticed some changes to the Vietnamese style of play but my players are well prepared,” he said.
Tomorrow’s clash is being touted as a repeat of the 2005 semi-final in the Philippines edition, which saw Vietnam emerge 2-1 winners while the national team picked up the bronze medal after edging Indonesia 1-0 in the third-placing playoff.
Malaysia also lost 4-3 to Vietnam at the same stage in the 2003 edition here and ended up going home with the bronze medal after beating Myanmar.
However, Malaysia managed to avenge those two losses in style when they edged Vietnam 1-0 in the 2009 final in Laos for the “mother of all gold medals”.
Meanwhile, the other semi-final tomorrow will see Thailand taking on Indonesia at the Thien Truong Stadium in the Nam Dinh Province. - Bernama
