Vietnam did not lose to Malaysia

We lost to ourselves. Too complacent. So hasty.

After Singapore game, everyone celebrated as if Vietnam had already won SEA Games. I don't understand why people underestimated Malaysia that much before the final especially when they were very hungry for a revenge. This attitude plus the pressure of the final affected all Vietnamese players and they could not show their best.

Vietnam had beaten Malaysia in the group stage but it all happened in the past. Obviously Malaysia came into the final, knowing how Vietnam would play, how Vietnam would pass and move. Vietnam could not break their defense while their attackers seemed very dangerous. They exploited all the space we left behind when we pushed up. Yet we kept pushing up to attack and kept losing the ball. It was a big big mistake and we finally had to pay. Malaysia had a successful game and was well-deserved with the victory.

History: Vietnam and SEA Games

1959: The first SEA Games (known as SEAP Games) was held in Bangkok (Thailand) in 1959. At that point of time, Vietnam was represented by South Vietnam team. The South Vietnam team had to travel by coach, spending one night in Phnompenh (Cambodia) before arriving at Bangkok. Despite that long and strenuous journey, the team was still able to perform well and won the gold medal after defeating host Thailand 3-1 in the final. First-team players of South Vietnam: Pham Van Rang, Le Van Ty, Nguyen Van Cut, Pham Van Hieu, Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, Le Van Ho (aka Myo), Nguyen Van Nhung, Do Thoi Vinh, Do Quang Thach, Há and Nguyen Van Tu.



1961: 2nd SEA Games was held in Rangoon (Burma), Vietnam (South Vietnam) failed to defend its title. Vietnam team was pooled in group A alongside Thailand and Laos. After beating Laos 7-0 and drawing 0-0 with Thai, Vietnam advanced to semi-final to play against Burma (Myanmar). The host was very strong then and they defeated Vietnam 2-1. As a result, Vietnam finished in third place.

1963: Not held.

1965: Vietnam got bronze medal.

1967: Vietnam got silver medal.

1969: Vietnam failed to reach semi-finals.

1971: Vietnam got bronze medal.

1973: Vietnam got silver medal

1975-1989: Vietnam didn't enter SEA Games due to diplomatic issues.

1991: Vietnam lost heavily in group stage (SEA Games 16).

1993: Vietnam lost heavily again (SEA Games 17).

1995: German coach Karl Heine Weigang was appointed as Vietnam head coach. He somehow turned a weak national team into a real surprise-package in SEA Games 18. In group stage, Vietnam won 2-0, 7-0 and 1-0 against Malaysia, Laos and Indonesia respectively before losing 1-3 to host Thailand. In semi-final, Vietnam defeated Myanmar by a golden goal. To the final, Vietnam was not able to cope with Thailand, losing 0-4 and came home with silver medals.

1997: SEA Games 19 (Indonesia) saw Vietnam finish the tournament with bronze medal after losing 1-2 to Thailand in semi-final and winning 1-0 against Singapore in the third-place match.

1999: Vietnam national team went to Brunei with its best team ever since 1990. The team managed to reach the final but lost 0-2 to rival Thailand again. Vietnam got silver medal.

2001: The new rule was adopted in SEA Games 21 in Malaysia. Only under-23 players were eligible to play. Vietnam U23 failed to reach semi-final due to lack of preparation.

2003: SEA Games 22 was held in Vietnam. Vietnam U23 found it a perfect chance to win the first gold medal after 44-year drought. The team was very determined to end Thai dominance in SEA Games. Although Vietnam successfully made its way to the final to play against arch rival Thailand, they once again lost 1-2 after extra-time. Vietnam got silver medal again.

2005: Vietnam brought its squad to Bacolod (Philippines) with full of brilliant young stars. The U23 team was very well-prepared, especially after playing in Asian Cup Qualifying Round in which they managed to earn an amazing 1-0 victory against Asian giant South Korea national team. Vietnam, however, was unable to change the color of its medal this time when losing 0-3 to Thailand in the final. But the silver medal was shadowed by the infamous match-fixing scandal which made 7 Vietnamese players imprisoned and banned globally. Pham Van Quyen, the brightest talent of Vietnamese football at that time, was also involved and his international ban has not been lifted until now.

2007: After surprisingly reaching the final qualifying round of Olympic Beijing 2008 alongside kinds of Japan and Saudi Arabia , a brand new and talented Vietnam U23 took part in SEA Games 24 with huge expectation. Nevertheless the team was unable to show its best after a busy year with congested tournaments. Losing PK to Myanmar U23 in the semi-final, Vietnam U23 disappointed all the fans. In the third-place match, the lackluster Vietnam side suffered heavy 0-5 defeat to Singapore U23.

SEA Games 25: Vietnamese fans

See more here

SEA Games 25 Results

Group A: Thailand U23, Vietnam U23, Malaysia U23, Timor Leste U23 and Cambodia U23

02/12
Malaysia U23 vs Timor Leste U23: 11-0
Thailand U23 vs Vietnam U23: 1-1

04/12
Thailand U23 vs Cambodia U23: 4-0
Vietnam U23 vs Timor Leste U23: 4-0

06/12
Vietnam U23 vs Malaysia U23: 3-1
Cambodia U23 vs Timor Leste U23: 4-1

08/12
Thailand U23 vs Timor Leste U23: 9-0
Malaysia U23 vs Cambodia U23: 4-0

11/12
Vietnam U23 vs Cambodia U23: 6-1
Thailand U23 vs Malaysia U23: 1-2

Standings:
1. Vietnam U23
2.Malaysia U23
3. Thailand U23
4. Cambodia U23
5. Timor Leste U23

Group B: Laos U23, Indonesia U23, Singapore U23 and Myanmar U23

05/12
Indonesia U23 vs Singapore U23: 2-2
Laos U23 vs Myanmar U23: 1-1

07/12
Singapore U23 vs Myanmar U23: 2-1
Laos U23 vs Indonesia U23: 2-0

10/12
Myanmar U23 vs Indonesia U23: 3-1
Singapore U23 vs Laos U23: 0-0

Standings:
1. Laos U23
2. Singapore U23
3. Myanmar U23
4. Indonesia U23


Semi-finals:
Vietnam U23 vs Singapore U23: 4-1
Laos U23 vs Malaysia U23: 1-3

Third-place:
Laos U23 vs Singapore U23

Final:
Vietnam U23 vs Malaysia U23

Vietnam U23 clips:

Watch SEA Games 25 Football Tournament Live

No	Time (GMT+7)		Match	Stadium	Channel
1	2/12	14h30 – 17h	Group A: Malaysia – East Timor	Main Stadium	VTV2
2		17h15 – 20h	Group A: Thailand – Vietnam	Main Stadium
3	4/12	14h30 – 17h	Group A: Thailand – Cambodia	Chao Anu-vong
4		17h15-20h	Group A: Vietnam – East Timor	Chao Anu-vong
5	5/12	14h30 – 17h	Group B: Singapore - Indonesia	Main Stadium
6		17h15 – 20h	Group B: Laos – Myanmar	Main Stadium
7	6/12	14h30 – 17h	Group A: Vietnam – Malaysia	Main Stadium
8		17h15 – 20h	Group A: East Timor - Cambodia	Main Stadium
9	7/12	14h30 – 17h	Group B: Myanmar – Singapore	Chao Anu-vong
10		17h15 – 20h	Group B: Indonesia - Laos	Chao Anu-vong
11	8/12	14h30 – 17h	Group A: East Timor – Thailand	Chao Anu-vong
12		17h15 – 20h	Group A: Cambodia – Malaysia	Chao Anu-vong
13	10/12	14h30 – 17h	Group B: Myanmar – Indonesia	Chao Anu-vong
14		17h15 – 20h	Group B: Laos - Singapore	Chao Anu-vong
15	11/12	14h30 – 17h	Group A: Cambodia – Vietnam	Chao Anu-vong
16		14h45 – 17h	Group A: Malaysia – Thailand	Main Stadium	VTV6
17	14/12	19h00 Watch at: http://laofootball.blogspot.com/	Semi-final 1: Laos – Malaysia	Chao Anu-vong	VTV2
18		18h00	Semi-final 2: Vietnam – Singapore	Chao Anu-vong
19	17/12	14h30 – 17h	Third-place match	Chao Anu-vong
20	17h – 20h (17/12)	Final	Main Stadium

All matches will be broadcast live on VTV2:
http://itv.xem24h.org/?p=80
http://tivitructuyen.net/vtv2.htm
vtc.com.vn (then select VTV2 from list)
http://www.hoangvi.com/tvonline.html (then select VTV2 from list)
http://www.tivi360.com/2009/08/tivi-online-kenh-vtv2_23.html

Watch SEA Games 25 football on Laos TV: http://laofootball.blogspot.com/

Darby predicts Thailand v Vietnam final in Vientiane

Thailand's SEA Games coach Steve Darby predicts that his men will meet Vietnam in the final in the biennial event in Laos.

Thailand will meet Vietnam, Malaysia, East Timor and Cambodia in the first round. The top two teams advance to the semi-finals and the football tournament kicks off next week.

Darby said yesterday Vietnam and Malaysia are strong sides but he believes Thailand and Vietnam will progress past the first round.

"Vietnam have made fast progress and I think we will meet them in the final," said the English coach.

Thailand, who are eight-time defending champions, will leave for Laos tomorrow. They will kick off their campaign against Vietnam on Dec 2.

Bangkok Post

Vietnam U23 squad for SEA Games 25

Goalkeepers: Tan Truong (Dong Thap), Khoa Dien (Ho Chi Minh City FC).

Defenders: Xuan Hop (Thanh Hoa), Minh Duc (Viettel FC), Dai Dong (T&T Ha Noi), Long Giang (Tien Giang), Hoang Quang (SHB Da Nang), Ngoc Anh (Nam Dinh), Dinh Dong (SLNA).

Midfielders: Trong Hoang (SLNA), Van Binh (SLNA), Cong Minh (SLNA), Thai Duong (HAGL), Thanh Luong (Ha Noi ACB), Thanh Hung (SHB Da Nang), Quy Suu (Dong Thap), Tien Thanh (Ninh Binh), Danh Ngoc (Nam Dinh).

Forwards: Thanh Binh (GDT Long An), Dinh Tung (Thanh Hoa), Manh Dung (Nam Dinh), Ngoc Anh (SLNA).

25th SEA Games: Group Stage Draw

The official draw for 25th SEA Games Football has been held in Vientiane (Laos) this morning (09/11):

Group A: Thailand U23, Vietnam U23, Malaysia U23, Cambodia U23 and East Timor U23.
Group B: Myanmar U23, Indonesia U23, Singapore U23 and Laos U23.

24th SEA Games Football finalists Thailand U23 and Myanmar U23 were seeded and separated into different groups during the draw.

The tournament will last from 03/12 to 17/12.