Malaysia's hopes suffer double blow

Malaysia's SEA Games football campaign was dealt a double blow yesterday.

Key midfielder Nazmi Faiz Mansor will play no further part in the competition when he was banned in the afternoon for six games.

He had been sent off for spitting at Timor Leste's Filipe Oliveira during Malaysia's 1-0 win on Saturday.

In the evening, their hopes of reaching the semi-finals took a beating after they were thrashed by Vietnam 5-1 in a Group B match at Bishan Stadium.

The fatigue of playing with 10 men for an hour against Timor Leste showed last night, as Ong Kim Swee's charges were outplayed in every department.

He said: "The only way for us to qualify now is if we beat Thailand. Whether we are tired or not, we have to give everything."

Vietnam, on the other hand, were relentless in attack.

They were led by forward Nguyen Cong Phuong, who won two penalties - converted by Mac Hong Quan and Vo Huy Toan in the 14th and 46th minutes respectively - and scored twice.

His second goal, a 25m free kick into the roof of the net in the 54th minute, was met by a roar of approval from the Vietnamese fans among a 3,000-strong crowd.

Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim pulled one back for the Malaysians in the 78th minute but Nguyen Van Toan scored the game's final goal a minute later.

Said Vietnam coach Toshiya Miura: "I'm surprised by the scoreline but not the performance.

"Tonight was one of the most important games in the group stage. Our players worked hard."

ocharles@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on June 03, 2015.
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