Vietnam will stay true to their trademark style when facing Malaysia

Malaysia's playing style shares many similarities with Singapore. Therefore, Vietnam needs to avoid the mistakes they made in the group stage of the ASEAN Cup 2026.

In that match, coach Kim Sang-sik's team held Singapore to a 0-0 draw. The game at My Dinh was truly frustrating for the Vietnamese players, and they nearly conceded and lost in the final minutes if Singapore's strikers had been more accurate in their finishing.

Hosting the lower-rated Singapore, Vietnam used the naturalized striker trio of Xuan Son, Hoang Hen, and Tai Loc for most of the match. With this trio up front, Vietnam mainly played long balls and bypassed the midfield. The players tried everything to get the ball forward in the simplest way, attempting to exploit the speed and power of the foreign-born strikers to find gaps in Singapore's defense. However, Vietnam's long passes were neutralized by Singapore's tall and strong center-backs.

This style also inadvertently nullified the technical ability of Vietnam's creative midfielders. The more long passes they made, the more the team's formation stretched, preventing the midfield from showcasing their creativity.

Which style will Vietnam choose for their away leg against Malaysia in the ASEAN Cup 2026 semifinal first leg at Kuala Lumpur? If they still use the naturalized strikers and play long balls, the same situation as against Singapore could occur in Malaysia. Malaysia also has very tall and strong center-backs like Shamsul (1.82m), Rodney Celvin (1.81m), Ibrahim Manusi (1.81m)... This defensive line is also adept at aerial duels and physical battles, requiring strength.

However, these tall center-backs are wary of teams with technically skilled, agile forwards and quick small-group combinations on the ground. Short passing sequences and continuous one-touch play can 'twist the ribs' of these tall but slow-turning defenders.

Vietnam will pay close attention to these details. The lessons from their victory over Indonesia in the group stage will be emphasized by coach Kim Sang-sik to his players. In that match, Vietnam changed their style compared to the Singapore game, switching to a possession-based approach with short passes. That style proved effective, unleashing the formidable strength of the Golden Star Warriors.

Malaysia enters the ASEAN Cup 2026 semifinals with several squad losses. Midfielder Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal was recalled by his club Sporting JAX and cannot continue in the tournament. Additionally, Endrick Dos Santos, Jimmy Raymond, Fazrul Amir Zaman, and Aliff Haiqal Lau are reportedly out for the rest of the competition. Engku Shakir Engku Yacob is doubtful to play, while Mohamadou Sumareh is facing fitness issues.

Malaysia's playing style is quite similar to Singapore's. There is a similarity in player traits and tactics. Malaysia also relies heavily on long balls and aerial play in attack. In fact, compared to Singaporean players, Malaysians are even more 'cunning' (tricky). Malaysia plays harder and uses more tactical fouls than Singapore. With what Singapore achieved at My Dinh against Vietnam, Malaysia will also have valuable lessons from that match.

In this match, Malaysia has the home advantage, so they are unlikely to settle for a defensive approach. But if they play an open game and try to overwhelm Vietnam early, the 'Tigers' will be vulnerable to counterattacks from coach Kim Sang-sik's team.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has the advantage of the second leg at My Dinh Stadium, so coach Kim Sang-sik's team will not need to rush. Instead, they will focus on good ball possession and exploiting the opponent's weaknesses to finish.

It is likely that coach Kim Sang-sik will start with naturalized players from the beginning to wear down the opponent's defense. Possibly Xuan Son and Tai Loc, or Xuan Son and Hoang Hen will be in the starting lineup.

After the opponent's defense is tired, that will be the time for the high-speed ball handling and tight-space agility of forwards like Dinh Bac or Hai Long to showcase their technical qualities.

In the past 12 years, Malaysia has never beaten Vietnam in official international tournaments. The last time Malaysia won against Vietnam was in the ASEAN Cup 2014 semifinals. This run of results shows a significant gap between the two teams in recent years.

Theoretically, despite playing away, Vietnam is still rated higher than Malaysia in the ASEAN Cup 2026 semifinal first leg. However, football always has surprises, and coach Kim Sang-sik's team cannot be complacent.

The ASEAN Cup 2026 semifinal first leg between Vietnam and Malaysia will take place at 20:00 at Kuala Lumpur Stadium. This is a clash between two teams with a long history, having faced each other in many tournaments. The match in Kuala Lumpur this time promises to be very exciting.

Expected starting lineups of the two teams
Malaysia: Azri Ghani, Ruventhiran, Shamsul Fazili, Rodney Celvin, Ibrahim Manusi, Daryl Sham, Aliff Haiqal, Sergio Aguero, Syafid Ahmad, Sumareh, Paulo Josue
Vietnam: Le Giang Patrik, Tien Anh, Thanh Chung, Viet Anh, Xuan Manh, Van Vi, Hoang Duc, Thanh Long, Dinh Bac, Tai Loc, Xuan Son