Malaysia silenced the My Dinh Stadium crowd in Hanoi with a 4-2 semifinal victory over Vietnam on Thursday night to seal their place in the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup final against Thailand.
Dollah Salleh's side advanced with a 5-4 aggregate score having lost the first leg at home 2-1 just four days earlier. Amri Yahyah, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, Safiq Rahim and Shukor Adan give the visitors a 4-1 lead in the first-half. Le Cong Vinh scored a goal in both halves, but his brace was insignificant in one of the most amazing comebacks in AFF history.
Malaysia came out like men possessed. With only two minutes on the clock, the returning Amri Yahyah played a delightful right-wing cross to Indra Putra Mahayuddin. He was clean on goal, only for Que Ngoc Hai to slide in and take him down. The referee blew for a spot-kick which midfielder Safiq Rahim duly converted for his fourth goal of the tournament.
The home team came storming back. Pham Thanh Luong released Nguyen Van Quyet who was free on goal only to see the forward flagged for offside.
Dollah Salleh's men were causing Vietnam all sorts of problems with their direct long balls down the middle. In the 15thminute, another beautiful pass over the top from Amri, coupled with confusion between Tien Thanh Dinh and stopper Nguyen Manh Tran, gave Norshahrul Idlan Talaha the perfect opportunity to ghost in and slot the ball into an empty net.
Just when Malaysia thought they were cruising, Le Cong Vinh was adjudged to have been held back by Fadhli Shas off a corner-kick in the 23rd minute. The Vietnam striker stepped up and slotted in the spot-kick past a hapless Farizal Marlias in goal.
With the aggregate score tied at 3-3, the partisan home fans found their voice only to be silenced again six minutes later. Another long punt found Indra who raced down the left before firing in a cross that was deflected past Manh Tran by a backtracking Thanh Dinh.
Vietnam coach Toshiya Miura looked rattled on the bench and brought on Le Tan Tai in place of Hoang Thinh to instil some steel in midfield where the visitors were dominating with Amri and Badhri in fine fettle.
The boys in red came storming back and almost scored their second goal on the night when Van Quyet squared the ball across the box to find an unmarked Hoang Thihn Ngo. His shot found Cong Vinh who could only react and send it straight into the arms of a grateful Farizal.
With half-time fast approaching, Malaysia were in seventh heaven as a corner-kick routine saw a marauding Shas head the ball down to captain Shukor Adan who headed it past Manh Tran for Harimau Malaya's fourth of the night.
Miura went for broke in the second period by bringing on an additional forward in Mac Hong Quan, only to be dealt a blow in the 50th minute. Tan Tai, who came on for an ineffective Thihn Ngo, had to be substituted himself following an injury by Nguyen Hai Anh. Vietnam played with four strikers as desperation mode kicked in.
Vietnam started to get their act together with Huy Hung Nguyen skinning the bar in the 60th before Hong Quan scuffed his shot two minutes later into the path of Hai Anh. But wing back S.Kunalan was on hand to make a crucial intervention.
Controversy ensued in the 68th minute when Cong Vinh went charging into Farizal who came a long way from goal to clear the ball. Tension was mounting for the home side with nothing going their way.
Despite Vietnam's best efforts to haul themselves back into the game, Malaysia's rejuvenated veterans were unrelenting in their pressing. But their defence was finally breached again in the 78th minute when Cong Vinh netted his second of the night to set up a pulsating last 12 minutes.
Vietnam smelt blood and went on the offensive. They were almost rewarded in the 81st minute when right back Ngoc Hai's cross was deflected towards goal by Amri, with Miura's men remonstrating with the referee that the ball had crossed the line.
It was constant pressure by the home side. Nguyen Van Quyet had one last opportunity in the 90th minute only to see Farizal scoop up the ball. Malaysia saw out the dying minutes to secure a place in their second AFF Suzuki Cup final in four years, having beaten Indonesia in the 2010 championship match.
Vietnam: Nguyen Manh Tran (GK), Le Phuoc Tu, Tien Thanh Dinh, Van Bien Nguyen, Ngoc Hai Que, Hoang Thihn Ngo (38' Le Tan Tai, 50' Nguyen Hai Anh) Nguyen Van Quyet, Pham Thanh Luong, Vo Huy Toan (46' Mac Hong Quan), Huy Hung Nguyen, Le Cong Vinh (C)
Malaysia: Farizal Marlias (GK), Shukor Adan (C), Fadhli Shas, Zubir Azmi, Azamuddin Azkil, Badhri Radzi (78' Baddrol Bakhtiar), Safiq Rahim, Indra Putra Mahayuddin (92' Muslim Ahmad), Amri Yahyah, Norshahrul Idlan Talaha