"Our main target is to play better and claim three points from Vietnam. We will play to win. My players are craving victory. We have given our best but didn't get what we deserved. The players did good but they were punished for a few mistakes. I'm sure that Malaysia will put all they got into this last game," Maloney told Malaysian media Tuesday.
Maloney's statement differed from his previous comments. On Monday, a day after losing 0-3 to Thailand, Maloney aimed to draw against Vietnam.
However, he also admitted that beating Vietnam at the moment is a difficult task.
"We will struggle in the next game because Vietnam are a strong opponent and it has shown in their victory at SEA Games 31. In that tournament, they got a well-deserved win against us in the semifinals," he said.
Malaysia have already been eliminated after losing the first two matches. But they can escape the bottom position if they beat Vietnam.
Vietnam can advance if they beat Malaysia and either Thailand or South Korea win the other game.
The U23 Asian Cup is being hosted in Uzbekistan. The Vietnam and Malaysia game will be reported live on VnExpress International from 8 p.m.