PETALING JAYA: Malaysia finished third in the inaugural FIFA Asean Cup after a 1-0 win over Vietnam at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Monday (Oct 5).
It was special as it ended Malaysia’s 12-year wait for a win against Vietnam.
The last time Harimau Malaya beat them was in 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup, when they beat them 4-2 in the semi-final.
Striker Fergus Tierney was the hero, scoring the only goal in the 61st minute.
Vietnam dominated the opening 15 minutes as Malaysia struggled to get to grips with the game. The Golden Dragons created three to four chances, but goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi comfortably dealt with them all.
Harimau Malaya settled after the 25th minute and carved out chances through naturalised Brazilian striker Bergson dos Santos in the 34th and 38th minutes. Both efforts were saved by Vietnam goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang.
The match remained goalless at half-time.
After the break, interim coach Tan Cheng Hoe brought in Syahmi Safari for Quentin Cheng at rightback.
Dos Santos then came close to breaking the deadlock when his shot from the right beat Le Giang but missed just inches wide.
The 35-year-old was substituted in the 60th minute for Tierney, and the 23-year-old needed less than a minute to make his mark.
He turned sharply and fired a superb shot from outside the box past the Vietnam goalkeeper.
The game turned cagey after the goal, with Vietnam struggling in the final third and relying on counter attacks in search of an equaliser.
The 1-0 result capped a strong campaign for Malaysia, who did not concede a single goal in their four matches and scored 10, the bulk coming from a memorable 6-0 thrashing of Causeway rivals Singapore.
