Park
Hang-seo’s side cruised to a two-goal advantage after 25 minutes, but
Mohd Saad and Safawi scored in either half of the match to spoil
Vietnam’s fabulous party away.
Despite missing out on a victory, by scoring twice on Malaysia’s home
field, the “Golden Stars” are currently on the upper hand against the
““Harimau Malaya” ahead of the return leg at Hanoi’s My Dinh Stadium
this weekend thanks to the rule of away goals.
Roared on by a crowd of more than 80,000, Malaysia began the game
strongly and produced the first finish of the match after 16 minutes,
with Zaquan Adha heading wide from a left-wing cross by Kutty Abba.
Malaysia were looking lively in the early stages, but it was Vietnam
who took the lead once again proving how clinical they are in front of
the goal.
In the 22nd minute, Van Hau chipped a delightful pass to
Van Duc in the left wing. The Nghe An-born forward delivered a cross
into the penalty box which was unfourtunately blocked by a Malaysian
defender, but midfielder Huy Hung found the back of the net on the
rebound to put Vietnam ahead 1-0.
To everyone’s surprise, the guests only needed another three minutes
to double their advantage, with Van Duc returning the ball to Duc Huy
who fired an eye-catching long-range strike to beat goalkeeper Mohd
Farizal Marlias.
The following minutes saw Malaysia strengthen pressure seeking to narrow
the score. Tan Cheng Hoe’s side made good use of their rare
opportunities to pull a goal back, as Mohd Saad successfully converted
Kutty Abba’s 36th-minute freekick with a powerful header from close range.
Vietnam enjoyed two clear-cut chances to create a safe gap before
half time, as Quang Hai assisted Duc Chinh twice, but the SHB Da Nang
forward failed to beat the Malaysian keeper in face-to-face situations.
The second half took place in the same manner as in the first 45
minutes, with Malaysia still having much of the ball but Vietnam
possessing more opportunities to score. Notably in the 58th
minute, substitute Tien Linh, who replaced Duc Chinh, produced a sprint
and burst into the penalty area; however, his final shot was
unexpectedly stopped by goalie Marlias.
The waste of opportunities forced Park’s side to pay deerly, as
Safawi curled an eye-catching left-footed freekick to equalise the score
for the home side on the hour mark.
With time running out, Vietnam put up pressure on the Malaysian
field, and came close to restoring their advantage, with Van Duc seeing
his effort blocked by a Malaysian defender and Quang Hai shooting wide
from a narrow angle.
Safawi had a chance to repeat his magic deep into stoppage time with a
free-kick from distance, but this time Van Lam's fine save, flying to
his right, kept the ball out and ensured the match would finish as a
stalemate.
There are no doubts that the 2-2 draw left deep regrets among both
the Vietnamese players and fans, especially when the “Golden Stars” had
gone two goals in front. However, scoring twice away has gifted Park’s
side an upper hand ahead of the return fixture, as they will only need
to held the “Harimau Malaya” to a 0-0 or 1-1 tie at Hanoi’s My Dinh
Stadium on Dec 15 to realise the decade-long dream of lifting the AFF
Cup trophy.
(Source: NDO)