HANOI, Oct 11 — National team head coach Tan Cheng Hoe today admitted he was disappointed with the country’s attacking line-up which fell short in the 0-1 loss to Vietnam in the second round of the 2022 World Cup/2023 Asia Cup qualifiers at the My Dinh National Stadium yesterday.

Cheng Hoe said the team lacked the creativity displayed in the two previous matches against Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while Vietnam’s good defensive discipline did not help the situation.

"Last night, on the whole, our team did not play at the level that we would have hoped for, such as (the performance) against the UAE. We didn’t use our true strength.

"Our attacking was not sharp, the (lack of) creativity to get that goal somewhat affected our team. In terms of commitment and fighting spirit, there was no problem,” he told reporters at Noin Bai International Airport in Hanoi here, today.

The 51-year-old did not attend the press conference after the match last night, and was represented by assistant coach S. Balachandran.

Malaysia’s latest loss to Vietnam sees the latter team maintain an unbeaten record at home against Malaysia since a 2-4 upset in the second half of the 2014 AFF Cup Championship.

Malaysia are in fourth place with three points after three games in Group G action,  while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) lead with six points after beating Indonesia 5-0 in their second match on Wednesday (October 9).

Thailand and Vietnam who are tied with four points apiece, sit in second and third place respectively after two matches.

Malaysia will next host Thailand on November 14 and Indonesia (November 19) at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium. — Bernama