PETALING JAYA: A Second-half pep talk from national coach Tan Cheng Hoe resurrected the Malaysian team's spirits, but it was not quite enough as they were held 2-2 by Vietnam in the first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday (Dec 11).
Safawi Rasid got Malaysia's equaliser in the second-half and Harimau Malaya tried to get a winner but Vietnam held firm.
In the first half, an own goal from Shahrul Saad and a long-range strike from Pham Duc Huy sunk the hearts of Malaysians in the stadium.
A quick break from Vietnam in the 21st minute ripped Malaysia's defence apart as Nguyen Huy Hung capitalised on a sloppy clearance from Nazirul Naim, whose shot was inadvertently turned in by Malaysian centre-back Shahrul Saad as he tried to clear the ball away from goal.
Three minutes later, Duc Huy took a stinger of shot to beat a sprawling Farizal Marlias to give Vietnam a healthy two-goal advantage.
Malaysian fought back and got their reward when a brilliant set piece from Syamer Kutty Abba was thumped in by Shahrul Saad in the 36th minute.
In the second half, Malaysia continued their dominance but Vietnam were tactically resolute and relied on quick breaks to penetrate Malaysia's defence.
Malaysia got their equaliser in the 56th minute after Safawi curled in a beautiful free kick, which galvanised the home crowd.
Malaysia switched to three-man defence after bringing in striker Syafiq Ahmad for right-back Amirul Azhan Aznan, and the game opened up as both sides sought the all-important third goal.
Both teams huffed and puffed for the elusive winner but the score stayed locked at 2-2.
Malaysia will now travel to Hanoi to play in the second leg of the final at the MyDinh Stadium on Dec 15.
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