Malaysia upset Vietnam, to meet Thailand in final
VIETNAM 2
(Le Cong Vinh 22-pen, 79)
MALAYSIA 4
(Safiq Rahim 4-pen, Norshahrul Talaha 16, Dinh Tien Thanh 29-og, Shukor Adan 43)
Malaysia win 5-4 on aggregate
Malaysia have joined Thailand in the Suzuki Cup final with a stunning 4-2 win over Vietnam in Hanoi on Thursday.
The Tigers entered the second leg of their semi-finals trailing the Vietnamese by a 1-2 scoreline but quickly took charge at the My Dinh Stadium when Indra Mahayuddin was taken out by Que Ngoc Hai in the box after just three minutes.
Midfielder Safiq Rahim, who was targeted by Vietnamese fans on Facebook over perceived dirty play in the first leg, stepped up and drilled home the penalty to give the visitors the lead.
Norshahrul Talaha then capitalised on a defensive mix-up 12 minutes later to loop home Malaysia's second goal over onrushing Vietnam goalkeeper Manh Nguyen Tran.
Own downfall
While Vietnam pulled one back through a Le Cong Vinh penalty in the 22nd minute after eagle-eyed Japanese referee Masaaki Toma spotted a Malaysian foul during a Vietnamese corner, the hosts were the architects of their own downfall for Malaysia's third goal on 29 minutes.
After being set free on the left by Kelantan man Badhri Radzi, Indra fired a cross into the path of the onrushing Dinh Tien Thanh, who could do nothing but watch the ball ricochet into his own net.
Vietnam were then caught napping just two minutes before half time when Fadlhi Shas flicked on a Malaysia corner, allowing Tigers skipper Shukor Adan to sneak in a header off Nguyen Tran's near post.
The Vietnamese failed to find any inspiration from coach Toshiya Miura's half-time team talk and while Cong Vinh managed to pull one back in the 79th minute with a powerful finish, the hosts could not find the goals they needed to turn the tie around.
Dollah Salleh's triumphant side will now face Kiatisuk Senamuang's Thailand in the final, starting with the first leg at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on Dec 17 before the deciding return fixture at the Shah Alam Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 20.
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