The Malaysia Experiment - AFF Championship Group Stages

"Pride comes before a fall." - Matty Mullins

We're heading to Ha Noi, in hopes of sealing Group B with a win. The only problem is that Brunei (155th) is really cranking up the heat with a 4-1 win against our bitter rivals - Singapore (144th)! On the other hand, Vietnam (98th) has been nothing but surprisingly poor in this tournament so a win should be in the bag for us.

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I lined up the exact same starting eleven. Hopefully, the results would be similar as well. ;) The commentator backs Harimau Malaya to triumph over Vietnam, even when we're playing away from home.

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Well, so far the match has been anything but similar to the last match against Brunei. In the first half, we hit the crossbar (Tay Kok Fann) and the post (Muhaimin Jamaludin). Abdul Azim Jasmi even had to pull out a top save to prevent Vietnam from taking the lead. We had 60% possession but the first half ended 0-0 because our strikers forgot to bring their shooting boots. :/

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I lectured the boys before sending them out for the second half, hoping to see some improvements. We finally scored when the Luqman Hussain converted a pass from Mohd Faizal Azeman. Azeman got onto the scoresheet himself after Tay Kok Fann delivered a well-practiced freekick at the edge of the box. We managed to scrape through a 2-0 victory and I wasn't particularly happy with Jamaludin. Azeman did win the man of the match though, with a goal and an assist to his name. Here are the goals if you're keen to have a look. At least it's an improvement since we met them a year ago, in a friendly that ended 2-2.

Our Under 23s are back to their winning ways. Jasni Abidin scored a hattrick and had a rating of 9.6. Sigh, I should've brought him instead of Jamaludin. :/ Noor Suhaimi was the man of the match (9.1 rating) in the Under 19s match. Seem like we have a go back up for the left back position if Muhd Syazwan Ismawi ever gets himself injured.

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Here's how both groups' current standings before my last match against Singapore. We have already qualified but we can stop our rival from progressing by denying them a win. Brunei and Philippines (81st) all stand a chance of progressing but Brunei's fate is out of their own hands as they've played all their matches. Vietnam is dead last with zero points and not even a single goal scored.

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In the other group, our hosts - Thailand (126th) and Indonesia (169th), have already progressed to the knockout stages.

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I've decided to attempt a very unorthodox formation as we welcome Singapore to Bukit Jalil Stadium. Lee Jinxiang being injured threw things off a bit. I prefer to play my players in their natural positions, thus explains my 'patched up' formation.

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We kicked off at the same time with the other match, Vietnam against Philippines. In the 3rd minute, I got news that Vietnam scored! Too little, too late. In less than 5 minutes, Khuc Cong Thanh got himself sent off, leaving Vietnam down to 10 men. Philippines now have a chance to strike back and win it. Back in our own home ground, Benjamin Ibrahim (who's playing in place of the injured Lee Jinxiang) played a wonderful cross to Jasni Abidin (I called him up after his splendid showing at the Under 23s), who then found Jamaludin alone in the box. Jamaludin kicked it into the left corner, leaving Izwan Mahbud helpless.

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In the 25th minute, Ibrahim Ismail (I called him up because he was the top assist provider in Malaysian Super League) floated a long ball over the defense and picked out Jamaludin. It was too late for Shakir Hamzah to recover as he fell Jamaludin in the process. The referee pointed to the spot. All that's left to do was for Luqman Hussain to convert it.

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In the dressing room at halftime, I was surprised to learn that Vietnam was also leading by 2-0! Instead of caving under pressure due to playing with a man less, they extended their lead instead. If the current results stand, Brunei will advance!

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5 minutes into the second half, I got news that Philippines has halved Vietnam's advantage. They would need to score two more goals to overtake Brunei in the table. By the hour mark, I saw that Jamaludin is really underperforming, even with the goal he scored; so I subbed in Shukri Salleh. In less than 10 minutes on the field, his fresh legs showed as he chased down a long ball from Abhishek Pannirselvam. He sent in a pass and Abidin duly converted.

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In the 86th minute, the other center half, Mohd Zulkifli Mazlan, sent another long ball up. Salleh headed it down for Abidin and Abidin took it past their last defender, Sharif. He raced towards goal and it seemed like the goalkeeper gave up before Abidin took his shot. Why on earth was he lying on the ground? 4-0 to Malaysia. Abidin scored a brace and earned himself man of the match with a rating of 9.4. Check out the goals as we kept 'bombing' Singapore with long balls.

The other match ended 2-1 to Vietnam so Brunei advance! Vietnam had nothing to play for except their pride, and I guess they left the tournament with their pride intact.

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We'll be playing Indonesia in the semifinal while the hosts, Thailand, entertains Brunei. I've never faced Indonesia before so I guess I'd better be off to watch some tape. At least my scouts did some work beforehand.

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If you enjoyed this entry, do check out my previous posts
from where it all started, right up to now.