Football
ESPN staff 9y

Away goals put Vietnam on top against Malaysia in Suzuki semis

2008 champions Vietnam have the upper hand in their AFF Suzuki Cup semifinal after scoring two valuable away goals against Malaysia as they came from behind to win 2-1 at the Shah Alam Stadium in Selangor.

It means that Toshiya Miura's side are in a strong position ahead of Thursday's second leg in Hanoi.

The game was played in front of a capacity crowd of around 70,000 on a pitch softened by afternoon rain on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.

At the 2010 Suzuki Cup, Malaysia defeated Vietnam 2-0 in their semifinal first leg at home before going on to win the title for the first time.

But it was the visitors who made the better start and should have taken the lead in the fourth minute. Striker Le Cong Vinh played in Hoang Thinh Ngo but the midfielder's shot from inside the box was just wide.

Six minutes later, Le Cong Vinh turned smartly on the edge of the area and fired off a shot on target which was comfortably dealt with by Khairul Che Mat.

But Malaysia took the lead before the quarter hour. From a corner in the 12th minute, the Chinese referee ruled that Pham Luong handled in the box. He gave the midfielder a yellow card and awarded the home side a penalty.

The spot kick was converted by midfielder Safiq Rahim, who'd also scored a go-ahead penalty in his team's final group game against Singapore last week.

The Vietnamese were quick to respond as Le Cong Vinh repeatedly tested the Malaysian back four.

The equaliser came in the 31st minute when the stinging shot of Van Quyet Nguyen was parried by goalkeeper Khairul Che Mat. The ball fell into the path of Huy Toan Vo and the 21-year-old slotted in his first international goal.

Harimau Malaya were lucky not to concede a second goal before half-time.

Dollah Salleh's side came out with renewed purpose after the break as they pushed for a crucial second goal. In the 59th minute, Safiq's free kick from a handy position swung into the box, but none of Malaysia's attacking players could get on the end of it.

Barely 60 seconds later, Vietnam took the lead for the first time in the match against the run of play. In the 60th minute, Van Quyet Nguyen made a brilliant run on the edge of the box and showed great skill to elude defenders Fadhli Shas and Zubir Bin Mohd Azmi before beating Che Mat with a powerful right foot shot.

Vietnam almost made it three six minutes later when Le Cong Vinh broke clear into the box but a last ditch tackle denied him.

In the 69th minute, Safiq was lucky not to be sent off when he lashed out at Vietnam defender Tien Thanh Dinh. The goal scorer seemed relieved when the referee produced only a yellow card.

Despite a raft of second half substitutions from Dollah Salleh, Malaysia couldn't produce the victory that they so desired, leaving them in a vulnerable position ahead of the trip to Hanoi.

The winners of this semifinal will play either Thailand or Philippines in the two-legged finals on Dec. 17 and 20.

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