Slay the Dragons
Malaysia play crouching Tigers to a tricky Vietnam side
Malaysia coach Tan Cheng Hoe is out to emulate his mentor Datuk K. Rajagopal by winning the AFF Suzuki Cup. But the Harimau Malaya must first subdue favourites Vietnam in the first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil tonight. The Golden Dragons are a wiser bunch now after making the mistake of underestimating Malaysia in the past. At the 2009 Laos SEA Games, Vietnam were riding high after beating Malaysia 3-1 in the group stage but lost 1-0 when the two sides clashed in the final. Now, the Vietnamese have the edge again after beating Malaysia 2-0 in the group stage. Will they make the same mistake?
KUALA LUMPUR: Once bitten twice shy!
Vietnam have experienced the backlash of underestimating Malaysia in the past and will not do the same when they take on the hosts in the first leg of the AFF Suzuki Cup final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil tonight.
Vietnam were oozing with confidence after beating Malaysia 3-1 in the group stage of the 2009 Laos SEA Games but shockingly, they ended up losing the final 1-0 to the Harimau Malaya.
And the Golden Dragons’ winger Nguyen Trong Hoang is well aware of the perils of ignoring Malaysia’s challenge although they have beaten them 2-0 in the group stage in Hanoi on Nov 16.
Trong Hoang, who was a member of the losing Vietnamese side in Laos nine years ago, said Malaysia were capable of raising their game at the big stage.
The 29-year-old also remembers the magic of the National Stadium, where it brings out the best in the Malaysians. Favourites Vietnam were knocked out 2-0 on aggregate in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final, thanks to a 2-0 win by Malaysia in the first leg in Bukit Jalil.
“The Laos SEA Games was a heartbreak for me. We did well in the group stage but ended up losing the final. I’ll share the experience with the younger players in the team,” said Trong Hoang in a pre-match press conference yesterday.
“Malaysia are a dangerous side to play in the final and I expect them to play better compared to what they dished out during the group stage.”
“In 2010, I played here in the semi-finals of the same tournament. I know it’ll not be easy to play with the big home crowd behind the Malaysian team but we’ve been working hard in train- ing and we’ll be out to get a positive result.”
Malaysia started their Suzuki Cup campaign with a 1-0 win over Cambodia and 3-1 victory over Laos.
Malaysia were the dominant side but ended up losing to Vietnam in their penultimate Group A match before booking their berth in the semi-final with a 3-0 win over Myanmar.
Coach Tan Cheng Hoe’s men then knocked out defending champions Thailand on away goal rule after the semi-final tie ended 2-2 on aggregate to reach the final.
Malaysia skipper Zaquan Adha Abdul Razak said the 2-0 loss to Vietnam in the group stage was the turning point for Harimau Malaya’s campaign and promised a different performance in the final.
“I’ve the same experience losing to Vietnam in the group stage of the Laos SEA Games but the team bounced back to beat Vietnam in the final,” said the 31-year-old striker.
“We’ll rectify the mistakes we made in the group stage against Vietnam, we’ve learnt well from that match and the final will be a different game.”