Malaysian media praises Vietnam's efficiency, admits their team faces a 'thorny path'

Malaysian media reacted following Vietnam's 2-0 victory over Malaysia in the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 semifinal.

Vietnam gained a significant advantage after a 2-0 win on Malaysia's home ground in the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 semifinal. Nguyen Xuan Son opened the scoring in the 45+5 minute with a diving header. In the second half, Vietnam doubled their lead thanks to an own goal by Faris Danish.

: After the match, the Sinarharian of Malaysia wrote: "Malaysia's hopes of a positive result against Vietnam in the first leg of the ASEAN 2026 semifinal did not materialize as they lost 0-2 at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium on Sunday evening."

"The 0-2 defeat leaves Malaysia, the 2010 champion, facing a very difficult task if they want to reach the final before the second leg in Hanoi on Wednesday," the Malaysian newspaper continued.

Meanwhile, the Bharian of Malaysia published an article with the headline: "Malaysia team falls in Cheras."

The Malaysian newspaper wrote: "Malaysia suffered a 0-2 defeat to defending champions Vietnam in the first leg of the Piala ASEAN 2026 semifinal at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium. This result forces the team led by coach Tan Cheng Hoe to stage a comeback in the second leg in Hanoi next Wednesday if they want to reach the final for the first time in eight years."

"The last time the Malaysian team reached the Piala ASEAN final was in 2018, when coach Tan Cheng Hoe was also leading the team," the Malaysian newspaper wrote.

Meanwhile, the Hmetro of Malaysia admitted: "Malaysia faces a major disadvantage in the race for a ticket to the Piala ASEAN 2026 final after losing 0-2 to Vietnam in the first leg semifinal at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium."

The Utusan Malaysia wrote: "In the match at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium, Malaysia tried to create a competitive game against Vietnam but failed to capitalize on their scoring opportunities. Meanwhile, Vietnam was more efficient in converting chances into goals, scoring twice, thereby making the difference between the two teams after 90 minutes."

Meanwhile, the Stadium Astro of Malaysia wrote: "Vietnam makes Malaysia's path to the final difficult."

"The Malaysian national team is facing a thorny road on their journey to the ASEAN Cup 2026 final, after losing 0-2 to Vietnam in the first leg semifinal at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium", the Stadium Astro wrote.