Defending champions Vietnam defeated Malaysia 2-0 in the first leg of their ASEAN Championship semi-final in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday (Aug 16) to secure a comfortable advantage ahead of the return clash in Hanoi on Wednesday.
Brazilian-born striker Nguyen Xuan Son – also known as Rafaelson – put the visitors ahead with a stunning diving header five minutes into first-half stoppage time after Vietnam had overcome early pressure from Tan Cheng Hoe’s side.
The Vietnamese were given a reprieve on the hour mark when a red card initially shown to goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang for handling the ball outside the area was rescinded by referee Rustam Lutfullin after reviewing the pitch-side monitor.
Kim Sang-sik’s side then went on to add a crucial second with six minutes remaining when Malaysian left-back Faris Danish steered the ball past his own goalkeeper, Azri Ghani.
Faris almost made amends in the dying seconds, but Le Giang made an acrobatic save to push the defender’s goal-bound strike over the bar.
The winner of the two-legged clash will take on either Thailand or Singapore in the final. Thailand won 3-1 in the first leg of their semi-final on Saturday, with the return to be played in Bangkok on Tuesday.
The final will be played on a home-and-away basis on Aug 22 and 26.
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