Malaysia's coach admits a fact when placed in the same group as Vietnam at SEA Games 33

The head coach of Malaysia U23 shared his thoughts on being grouped with Vietnam at SEA Games 33.

On the afternoon of October 19, the draw randomly placed Vietnam U22 into Group B for the men's football event at SEA Games 33 alongside Malaysia U22 and Laos U22. Group A consists of host Thailand, Cambodia, and Timor-Leste, while Group C includes Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Singapore.

After the draw results were announced, Malaysia U22 coach Nafuzi Zain stated that this is a challenging group. However, he sees it as a good opportunity for his players to improve after a difficult year:

"I am not overly concerned about what some call 'trial and error.' I still have confidence in this team," NST quoted coach Nafuzi Zain as saying.

In recent times, the Malaysia U22 team has not achieved satisfactory results. At the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship, they were eliminated early in the group stage after losing 0-2 to the Philippines in their opening match. In the AFC U23 qualifiers, the Malaysian "Young Tigers" also disappointed by failing to qualify for the next round.

Notably, the rematch between Vietnam and Malaysia at SEA Games has attracted significant media attention. NST commented: "The match between the Young Tigers and Vietnam at SEA Games is expected to be less controversial than the game where Harimau Malaya defeated Vietnam 4-0 in June, which led to accusations that Malaysia fielded naturalized players with forged documents."

At SEA Games 33, the men's football tournament format has changed significantly. Ten teams are divided into three groups (instead of two as in previous years). The three group winners plus the best runner-up will advance to the semifinals.

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