Nguyễn Văn Tùng again proved to be Việt Nam's hero, scoring a brace to secure Việt Nam's qualification. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Linh

Anh Đức

PHNOM PENH — Việt Nam's under-22 football team have qualified for the knockout stages of the 32nd SEA Games men's football tournament, after a 2-1 win against Malaysia.

An early double from Nguyễn Văn Tùng seemed to have sealed the victory for Việt Nam, before Quan Văn Chuẩn's horrific mistake gave Malaysia a way back into the game.

Under torrential rain at the Prince Stadium, Malaysia did everything they could to grab at least a point, but found it more difficult after having two players sent off late in the second half.

Harimau Malaya went into this match after having lost 0-2 against Thailand last round. They needed at least a draw to keep their qualification hopes alive. For Philippe Troussier's men, after victories against Laos and Singapore, a win would see them through to the next round, and avoid a much harder match against Thailand in their last game for qualification.

The match started slowly with both teams playing careful, but it was Malaysia who made the first mistake.

In the fifth minute, Võ Minh Trọng's shot hit Adam Afkar inside the penalty area. After hesitation, referee Junpei Iida pointed to the spot, and Văn Tùng scored off the rebound to give Việt Nam the lead.

Desperate to regain control, Malaysia started to play tougher with strong tackles but Việt Nam's defence was resilient. The men in red played a high pressing game that forced Malaysia into mistakes.

The play slowed down in the latter part of the first half, until Phan Tuấn Tài found Minh Trọng in the left wing with a vicious long ball.

Trọng quickly crossed to the near post, where Tùng was lurking and headed in his fourth goal this competition to double Việt Nam's lead.

As everyone at the Prince Stadium thought both teams would go into the break with Việt Nam in a safe lead, Malaysia pulled one back in the 43rd minute.

A free kick by Aliff Izwan went straight into Quan Văn Chuẩn, who jumped and grabbed the ball but could not bring it to safety. The ball bounced to the ground and reached Aiman Arif, who slotted into an empty net.

With nothing to lose, Malaysia pushed on to seek an equaliser, and dangerous chances went their way. Akmal Kamal hit the post in the 53rd minute, an effort that startled the Việt Nam fans.

In the 79th minute, Muhamad Safwan was handed a direct red card by Iida, after the referee saw the defender punching a Vietnamese player.

Just three minutes later, Akmal Kamal's tackle from behind on Nguyễn Thanh Nhàn was also saw by Iida, and the referee handed Kamal's second yellow card, bringing Malaysia's player count to nine in the final eight minutes.

With victory surely in their grasp, Troussier directed his men to slow down and the match ended 2-1 to Việt Nam.

With this result, Việt Nam qualified with nine points, and are currently in second place behind Thailand, who they'll face on Thursday in their final group stage game to decide the first place. — VNS