ALL eyes will be on the region’s two best strikers when Malaysia host Vietnam in the AFF Cup semi-finals, first leg at Shah Alam Stadium on Sunday.
Regarded as a legend in Vietnam, Le Cong Vinh is best remembered for scoring two goals in the 3-2 aggregate win over Thailand in the 2008 final while Safee Sali netted five goals in Malaysia’s title triumph two years later.
Safee has a better record in the AFF Cup with nine goals since making his debut in 2008 while Cong Vinh has netted four times in three outings.
The 30-year-old Safee, who has regained his form after scoring a goal in the 3-1 win over Singapore in a Group B match last weekend, and the 28-year-old Cong Vinh will have similar goals to achieve on Sunday.
In 2010, Safee scored a brace against Vietnam at the same stage in Kuala Lumpur before the 0-0 draw in the return leg in Hanoi.
“Four years ago, I took advantage of errors by the Vietnam goalkeeper to score two goals. It was a memorable day. It gives me added motivation for Sunday’s match,” said Safee yesterday.
“I am more relaxed after netting a goal against Singapore. I have regained some confidence but I still need to work on my fitness. I had to be substituted in the final minutes against Singapore as I could not continue anymore.”
Safee stressed that Amri Yahyah and captain Shukor Adan will be missed on Sunday as they were the team’s best players in the group stage.
“I believe Vietnam will also be without several regulars but we should only be focused on getting the replacements of Amri and Shukor prepared for the game. It is not going to be easy without them but I am certain the coach (Dollah Salleh) will come up with an effective strategy,” Safee added.
Vietnam will miss suspended attacking midfielder Vu Minh Tu, who netted two goals in the group stage, while left-back Nguyen Xuan Thanh (torn knee ligament) and goalkeeper Tran Nguyen Manh (sprained finger) are doubtful.
Things are also not going great for Vietnam as coach Toshiya Miura’s request to head to KL on Monday was rejected. The team arrived in KL only yesterday in two groups, one from Hanoi and the other from Ho Chi Minh City as the FA was unable to book enough flight tickets.
Cong Vinh said the hiccup will not affect Vietnam’s goal of breaking Malaysian hearts in the first leg.
“I am feeling really great. After scoring two goals in the group stage, I feel that I have regained the feel of the game. I believe I can do better on Sunday but it will not be easy as Malaysia will attack in numbers for goals,” Cong Vinh told vietnamnet.vn yesterday.
Cong Vinh’s outing in the final six years ago was memorable as he not only scored a goal in the 2-1 win over Thailand in the first leg in Bangkok but also netted from a header four minutes into stoppage time to force a 1-1 draw in Hanoi to hand Vietnam the title.