Victory against Malaysia a year-end gift for fans, says Park

HANOI: Vietnam head coach Park Hang Seo said his team's 3-0 victory against Malaysia in the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup here last night was a year-end gift for all the Golden Star Warriors fans.

According to the South Korean coach, Vietnam's victory at the My Dinh National Stadium was a sweet success that deserves to be enjoyed.

"There are only some days left until the new year, and in the last days of 2022, it's nice that we beat Malaysia 3-0.

"Before the game, I told the players that the team must try to win the match as a gift to the fans. I want to thank the players for realising my wish," the 65-year-old coach said during the post-match press conference here.

Vietnam's three goals were scored by Nguyen Tien Linh in the 29th minute, Que Ngoc Hai through a penalty kick (64th minute) and Nguyen Hoang Duc in the 83rd minute.

The match also had countless fouls between players of the two teams that saw Japanese referee Ryuji Sato having to give out two red cards to Nguyen Van Toan and Muhammad Azam Azmi Murad, respectively along with a penalty for the home side.

The win against Malaysia not only maintained their unbeaten record against the Harimau Malaya in all competitions since 2014 but also put Vietnam at the top of group B sharing six points with Malaysia (second) and Singapore (third) but with much higher goal difference.

Another three points against Singapore away at the Jalan Besar Stadium this Friday will help Vietnam qualify for the semi-finals as group winners but Park stayed cautious about the match.

"There are four games in the group stage. We have only played two. My motto is moving forward firmly with each game. I can't say anything about the next match. I just know that the team will have to maximise resources to achieve a good result," Park said.

Malaysia are set to face Singapore in a 'do or die' match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Jan 3.

-- BERNAMA