At the training session on Wednesday midfielder Nguyen Van Truong appeared relaxed and no longer under pressure over his imbroglio with Philippine player Justin Faris in their group match Tuesday night, which Vietnam won 1-0. He was the center of attention after the incident.
Coach Hoang Anh Tuan was very upset and said he had even wanted the referee to send Truong off. During the training session, Tuan spoke with the 20-year-old midfielder about the incident and reminded the team about the need to keep a cool head during matches.
Truong apologized to Tuan and his teammates. With the issue sorted out, Truong seemed happy again during training.
Midfielder Nguyen Duc Viet impressed with a panenka penalty, tricking the goalkeeper before chipping into the center of goal.
In an interview before the training session, midfielfer Khuat Van Khang said: "The teams that have advanced to the semifinals are all strong and certainly well-prepared. We have played Malaysia many times and the next match with them will certainly be interesting and worth watching."
Like Vietnam, Malaysia topped their group with victories over Indonesia and Timor Leste.
Three months ago the two teams played in the group stages of the SEA Games, with Vietnam winning.
The two reserve goalkeepers, Nguyen Van Viet (pictured) and Tran Trung Kien, practiced saving penalties. Neither has had the opportunity to play yet with coach Tuan nominating Quan Van Chuan as the number one goalkeeper.
