KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 — Malaysian football continued its dismal performance under coach Dollah Salleh, losing 1-3 to Vietnam in a friendly at the My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi today.
Malaysia, who took an early lead, had only themselves to blame as defender Mohd Muslim Ahmad was shown a red card for rough play, a minute after Vietnam equalised in the 47th minute.
The host doubled the score via a penalty by Nguyen Van Quyet in the 56th minute after defender Mahalli Jasuli brought down Van Quyet inside the penalty box.
Midfielder Ngo Hoang Thinh made it 3-1 in the 81st minute after goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat failed to clear the ball in a dangerous situation.
The defeat was the fourth after the squad went down to Tajikistan 1-4 on August 8, Indonesia 0-2 on September 14, and the Syrian Under-23 squad 0-3 on Wednesday against a 4-1 win against minnows Cambodia on September 20.
Malaysia started well today, pushing hard for an early goal. The pressure paid dividends early when Mohd Amri Yahya scored in the 22nd minute after a pass from Norshahrul Idlan Talaha.
The host team tightened their play to find an equaliser but had to wait until the 47th minute to equalise through Mac Hong Quan.
While the equaliser served as a tonic for the Vietnam squad, it was all downhill for the Malaysians from that moment after being reduced to 10 men when Muslim was given his marching orders.
The match was part of the squad’s preparation for the AFF Suzuki Cup in Singapore which opens on Sunday, and goes on to November 29.
Malaysia, placed in Group B, open their campaign against Myanmar on Sunday and Thailand on November 26 at the Jalan Besar Stadium, before facing Singapore at the National Stadium on November 29. — Bernama
