I Proud To Be A Malaysian!!

SEA Games: Malaysia, Vietnam eye rare football win
VIENTIANE - Vietnam and Malaysia will clash in the final of the Southeast Asian Games football tournament Thursday in a surprise match-up that will see a new winner for the first time since 1993.

Malaysia, who reached the final after beating host nation Laos 3-1 in Monday's semi-final, will go into the match full of confidence after earlier knocking out eight-times defending champions Thailand.

But Vietnam, 4-1 winners over Singapore in the other semi-final, will also fancy their chances, having already beaten Malaysia 3-1 during the group stages.

Vietnam topped Group A with 10 points, with Malaysia in second on nine. Vietnam striker Phan Thanh Binh told the Thanh Nien newspaper his side had to be wary as Malaysia had some outstanding individuals.

"I think the rate will be 60-40 in favour" of Vietnam, he said, adding that their earlier win over Malaysia would give the team a psychological edge.

"We can win this match and we have to win at any price," coach Henrique Calisto told the Tien Phong newspaper.

"As I said before, Malaysia are a strong team with good preparation. We should look at how they overcame Thailand and played Laos under pressure."

"We have to prepare well for the match. We are not allowed to look down upon our opponent," he added.

Malaysia coach K. Rajagopal said he hoped the latest chapter in Malaysian football's revival would not turn out to be another false dawn. The country last won the SEA Games football trophy in 1989 in Kuala Lumpur.

"We have gone through a dry spell for quit e some time now - with the same old story and the same old blues," he said, according to The Star newspaper.

"I am sure the boys will give their best in the final. With their never-say-die attitude, urgency and high commitment, we hope they will bring success this time.

"But more important is the revival of Malaysian football." The government announced Tuesday it had approved a football development fund with a budget of up to 60 billion ringgit (S$24.5 billion).

Critics say the national side has fallen a long way since the heady days of the 1970s and 1980s. The steep decline has been blamed on a failure to nurture talent, poor management, cronyism, corruption and a lack of government support.