Before the first leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 semi-final, Malaysian midfielder Pavithran Gunalan showed great respect for the Vietnamese team and assessed coach Kim Sang-sik's team as the top candidate for the championship.
Pavithran Gunalan is only 21 years old but has become one of Malaysia's important players at the ASEAN Cup 2026. The fact that many key players of the national team are absent due to injury or not allowed by their club to return to play has created opportunities for this young midfielder to be given more.
Before the confrontation with the Vietnamese team, Pavithran admitted that Malaysia will have to make maximum efforts if they want to gain an advantage.
The Vietnamese team is a very strong team in the tournament. They are clearly the number one candidate for the championship. To face Vietnam, we will have to try our best, otherwise there is no hope at all," Pavithran shared.
When asked specifically about the gap between the two teams, the Malaysian midfielder said that his team needs to try at a much higher level than the opponent.
If they try 100%, maybe we have to try 200% to hope to win," Pavithran said.
The 21-year-old midfielder's statement partly shows Malaysia's caution before the confrontation with the Vietnamese team. This is also not the first time the Malaysian representative has appreciated the strength of coach Kim Sang-sik's team.
Besides the assessments of the Vietnamese team, Malaysia also faces difficulties in terms of force before the semi-finals. Some players such as Wan Kamal, Endrick Dos Santos, Lokman Hakim, Engku Nur Shakir and Jimmy Raymond were determined not to be able to participate in the match against the Vietnamese team for various reasons.
According to the schedule, the first leg semi-final between Malaysia and Vietnam will take place on August 16 in Kuala Lumpur. After that, the two teams will play the second leg on August 19 at My Dinh Stadium.
The Vietnamese team entered the ASEAN Cup 2026 as the defending champion. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team aims to successfully defend the championship, and at the same time aim to retain the title in the next tournament for the first time in history.
