On the afternoon of April 5th, the 2nd International Youth Student Football Tournament - 2026 THACO Cup closed with the final match between the National University of Malaysia and the University of Water Resources - two highly rated teams right before the opening day.
Before entering the final match, Thuy Loi University showed the impressive form of the Vietnamese student football champion.
This team successively defeated the National University of Singapore 4-2 in the opening match, then defeated Svay Rieng University (Cambodia) with a score of 3-0 despite using a reserve squad.
In the semi-finals, although Nha Trang University played very hard, the Vietnamese representative still showed bravery to win 2-0, with two goals scored in the final minutes of the match.
Statistics show that in the last 6 matches, Thuy Loi University scored up to 20 goals (an average of 3.3 goals/match) and only conceded 2 times. This team's playing style leans towards certainty, controlling the pace of the match and taking advantage of wing or fixed situations to create breakthroughs.
On the opposite side, the National University of Malaysia also proved the strength of the team that once won the "triple win" in the domestic school arena. After a 0-1 defeat to the University of Laos in the opening match, the Malaysian representative quickly regained their form.
This team successively won Nha Trang University 2-0 and surpassed Svay Rieng University thanks to a goal in the last seconds. The playing style of Malaysian National University is highly appreciated for its organization, rhythm in attack and discipline in defense.
However, the limitation of this team is the competitive mentality, when sometimes falling into collisions and losing control.
In the final, Malaysian National University did not have the service of key striker Izrin Bin Ibrahim - who scored all 3 goals for the team at the tournament. This absence has a significant impact on the attacking power of the Malaysian representative.
However, with high determination, the National University of Malaysia still played resiliently, dragging the match into a nerve-wracking penalty shootout. Here, this team won 7-6 to officially win the championship.
The victory closed an emotional journey for the Malaysian representative, and also showed the increasing competition of the regional student football playground.
