KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian team went to the lair of the Golden Dragons in Hanoi today, hoping to steal at least a point.
But Vietnam, at World No 102, the highest ranked team in Southeast Asia, were not in the mood to let World No 169 Malaysia get away unscathed.
The vibrant Vietnamese, roared on by a 40,000 capacity crowd at the My Dinh Stadium, drew blood as early as the 10th minute through Nguyen Cong Phuong who beat goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi with a shot, sweetly hit with the outside of his right foot.
For veteran Khairul Fahmi, who previously shut out Vietnam twice in the AFF Cup semi-finals (2010 and 2014), it was turning out to be a difficult evening, keeping the red shirted attackers at bay.
The 29-year-old Khairul Fahmi was beaten again for the second time in the match when he failed to stop Nguyen Anh Duc from slotting the ball past him in the 60th minute.
For the first time in the AFF Cup, coach Cheng Hoe started with Gambian-born naturalised player Mohamadou Sumareh. But the 24-year-old striker, who has just recovered from a hamstring injury, failed to sparkle and he was replaced by Safawi Rasid in the 57th minute.
For the Harimau Malaya, who posted victories over Cambodia (1-0) and Laos (3-1) earlier, it was their first defeat in Group A.
However, Malaysia remained on track for the semi-finals but the team need to beat Myanmar in their final group match next Saturday at Bukit Jalil to ensure qualification.
Myanmar beat Laos 3-1 yesterday to top Group A on goal difference, ahead of Vietnam and Malaysia.