The first leg semi-final between Malaysia vs Vietnam will take place at 8:00 PM on August 16. The Malaysian team plays at home, but they are not rated as highly as the Vietnamese team, the defending champion.
According to Zakaria Rahim, the Malaysian team needs to create an advantage in the first leg to put pressure on the Vietnamese team in the second leg. According to him, Harimau Malaya does not need a big win, but having an advantage at home will help them be more confident before going away to My Dinh Stadium in the second leg.
Sharing with Malaysian media, Mr. Zakaria Rahim said: "The semi-finals will not only take 90 minutes but 180 minutes. The Malaysian team will play 90 minutes in the first leg and then go to Hanoi. Therefore, before going there, they need to achieve a favorable result against the Vietnamese team. I'm not saying we need a big win, but the Malaysian team needs to hurt the opponent before they welcome us in Hanoi.
This football expert also revealed that he had been in Hanoi and understood the enthusiasm of Vietnamese fans. According to him, that will be a very big advantage for Kim Sang-sik's team in the second leg semi-final. Therefore, the Malaysian team will face many difficulties if they do not create a big advantage in the first leg.
One of the major disadvantages of Harimau Malaya in the first leg is that they lack key players. Coach Tan Cheng Hoe cannot have the services of many stars such as Endrick Dos Santos, Jimmy Raymond, Lokman, Aliff Haiqal, Engku Yacob... They only have 16 players participating in training before the match taking place on the evening of August 16.
Mr. Zakaria also reminded the Malaysian team not to let the defending champion find the rhythm of the match. He also listed three Vietnamese players that the home team needs to be wary of: captain Nguyen Quang Hai, midfielder Nguyen Hoang Duc and striker Nguyen Xuan Son.
Do not let Quang Hai have space behind the Malaysian midfield because that is very dangerous. Do not let him pass the ball to Xuan Son. Meanwhile, Hoang Duc is also not allowed to move freely. These three players need to be closely monitored," Zakaria said.
At ASEAN Cup 2026, Quang Hai has not scored but plays an important role in the Vietnamese team's playing style. Hoang Duc has also not scored any goals but has 4 assists for teammates. Nguyen Xuan Son still plays an important role in the Vietnamese team's attack when he has 2 goals.
According to Zakaria, to achieve a favorable result in the first leg semi-final, the Malaysian team needs to control the pace of the match, neutralize the speed in the Vietnamese team's playing style, narrow the gaps, and not let the opponent have space to make crosses and deploy attacks.
