HARIMAU Malaya will find themselves facing “the golden generation” of Vietnamese football in the AFF Cup in Hanoi on Friday.
Vietnam coach Park Hang-Seo has called up 15 players from the vaunted Vietnam team that reached the final of the Asian Under-23 Championships in China in January.
Among this golden generation are the mercurial playmaker Nguyen Quang Hai and striker Nguyen Cong Phuong, who has been dubbed the “Messi of Vietnam”.
Though Malaysia boast of two wins in as many matches (1-0 over Cambodia and 3-1 over Laos), Vietnam, known as Rong Vang (which means Golden Dragons), are a different class altogether.
The Malaysian camp have conceded that Vietnam are the favourites in the Group A battle at the My Dinh National Stadium. No one will dispute that, as Vietnam are ranked World No 102 compared to Malaysia’s 169.
Both Quang Hai and Cong Phuong have been quick to make their mark on the AFF Cup, each scoring a goal in Vietnam’s 3-0 opening win over Laos.
Quang Hai, 21, has made it clear he wants to help Vietnam win their first AFF Cup title since 2008.
“It would be great if we could repeat what we did in 2008 and win the tournament. I remember when we won it in 2008, it meant a lot to the country,” Quang Hai told affsuzukicup.com.
Quang Hai has become a fan favourite in Vietnam after plundering five goals in their Asian Under-23 Championship campaign. His goal in the final against Uzbekistan was selected as the goal of the tournament.
In 10 previous encounters in the AFF Cup, Malaysia lost to Vietnam five times and drew twice. Vietnam beat Malaysia 1-0 in the AFF Cup group stage two years ago.
However, national defender Aidil Zafuan Radzak believes that the expectations on Vietnam to beat Malaysia will work in his team’s favour.
“Vietnam should feel under pressure as they are one of the favourites to win the title this year.”
Aidil added that Malaysia still have room for improvement. “We are still short in certain areas A win will be a big boost to our confidence.
“We are aware that Vietnam are quick, and they are not the same as Laos or Cambodia.”