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The game between Vietnam and Malaysia was no lack of drama.
The Golden Dragons got ahead early in the seventh minute after Nguyen Van Tung successfully converted a penalty after Adam Afkar let the ball hit his arm inside the box.
Tung was also the scorer of the second goal with a powerful header from Vo Minh Trong’s pass.
Malaysia shortened the gap in the 42th minute after goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan failed to catch the ball cleanly when facing a freekick. Muhammad Aliff was there to tap it in.
Vietnam had a lot of difficulties in the second half when Malaysia played rougher with many hard tackles and fouls. Vietnam players also failed to take on opponents in duels.
Malaysia dominated most of the time, until the 80th minute, when Muhamad Safwan received a straight red for hitting Nguyen Thanh Nhan in the face. Three minutes later, Najmudin Akmal got sent off after receiving the second yellow card for tackling Nhan. This was the turning point of the game as Malaysia could no longer put pressure on Vietnam in the remaining time.
The 2-1 victory sent Vietnam to the semifinals with one game to spare, while Malaysia were eliminated.
Vietnam will play their last group stage game on Thursday against Thailand, who have also secured the semifinal plot after three victories.
SEA Games 32: Vietnam 2-1 Malaysia
