Although the Malaysian team once suffered a 0-2 defeat to Thailand in the group stage of the ASEAN Cup 2026, experts and fans of this country still highly appreciate the Vietnamese team before the semi-final match.
Malaysian national team head coach Tan Cheng Hoe said that Vietnam is the strongest team in the tournament. This strategist believes that Malaysia needs to carefully study the playing style and increase the intensity of the match if they want to make a difference against the opponent.
Vietnam is definitely the strongest team at ASEAN Cup 2026, and we have to analyze their playing style and increase the intensity of the match when facing them," Mr. Tan Cheng Hoe shared.
This view has also received agreement from some Malaysian football experts and commentators. They believe that the Vietnamese team is currently the leading candidate for the championship and is the biggest challenge for the Malaysian team.
Vietnam is the number one championship candidate of the tournament, the strongest opponent that Malaysia has faced. Our national team needs to prove that any surprise can exist in football," a Malaysian football commentator commented.
On social networks, many Malaysian fans also put the Vietnamese team in a higher position than Thailand. Some opinions recalled the 0-2 defeat of the home team against Thailand in the group stage to warn about the level of difficulty when facing the Vietnamese team.
We lost to Thailand 0-2, and it's hard to hope that the team will make a surprise against Vietnam - a team even stronger than Thailand in this tournament," a Malaysian fan commented.
However, the assessment of the strength between Vietnam and Thailand also creates mixed opinions. Some Thai fans believe that the home team, although not showing too outstanding play, is having high stability.
Thailand has won all matches in the group stage and has not conceded a goal. This is considered a basis for fans of the Golden Temple team to believe in their ability to compete for the championship.
Meanwhile, the Vietnamese team entered the semi-finals with a confrontation with Malaysia. Positive assessments from the opponent themselves show that coach Kim Sang-sik's team is receiving significant respect, but the result on the field will still be the deciding factor.
