U-19 AFF Championship: Harimau Muda lose final Group B fixture, to meet Vietnam in semis

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's unbeaten record in the Under-19 (U-19) ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Championship came to an end after losing 0-1 to Laos in the final Group B fixture in Bekasi, Indonesia today.

Substitute Phoutthavong Sangvilay emerged the hero in the match at the Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium after converting a penalty kick in the 68th minute.

The result saw Laos collect 12 points from four games to confirm their progress to the semi-finals as the group champions while the Harimau Muda squad led by Hassan Sazali Mohd Waras had to be content to advance to the knockout round as the runners-up with 7 points.

"I hope we will bounce back in the semi-finals. While we worked hard to achieve victory today, we know our mistake is in not being able to convert the chances created.

"I think we fully controlled the game in the last 15 to 20 minutes but we did not use the opportunity well," said Hassan Sazali in an audio clip shared with the media.

The Harimau Malaya will now face Group A champions Vietnam in the semi-final scheduled to take place on Wednesday, while Laos will face Thailand who emerged runners-up of Group A.

"Vietnam in terms of their ball play are quite good but we should not give the opportunity and space to their players.... We only have one day (of rest before the semi-final) and hope that all players can get enough rest," he said.

The national U-19 squad has done well in the last three editions of the AFF Championships, winning it in 2018, and emerging runners-up in 2017 and 2019.

The competition was not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

-- BERNAMA