Malaysia national team coach unexpectedly scouts Vietnam’s key players

Malaysia’s head coach, Peter Cklamovski, attended in person at MBPJ Stadium on January 28 evening to observe the game between Selangor FC and Hanoi Police FC (CAHN) during the 4th matchday of Group A in the Shopee Cup 2025/26.

According to Astro Arena reporter Fadhirul Shuhaimi, Coach Peter Cklamovski arrived at the stadium accompanied by Malaysia team coordinator, Zul Fadli Rozi. Fadhirul Shuhaimi wrote: “Malaysia national team coach, Peter Cklamovski, was also present at MBPJ Stadium to watch the Group A Shopee Cup 2025/2026 match between Selangor and Hanoi Police.”

As reported, Cklamovski mainly focused on observing and assessing the strength of CAHN, a club currently managed by former Thailand national coach, Mano Polking. This is because the club includes several key players from the Vietnam national team. Among them is goalkeeper Filip Nguyễn, defender Jason Pendant Quang Vinh and Nguyễn Quang Hải.

According to Makanbola, this match also gave Cklamovski the chance to evaluate the current form of Malaysian players wearing the Selangor jersey, including Faisal Halim, Quentin Cheng, and Nooa Laine Hamzah.

On the field, CAHN failed to cause an upset, losing 0-2 to Selangor. Playing at home, the Malaysian side started confidently, pushing their line forward and continuously applying pressure with fast-paced attacks down both flanks. From the opening minutes, CAHN’s defense had to work hard against the home team’s quick transitions and mobility.

Although Selangor created several chances in the first half, they couldn’t convert their dominance as shots from Alvin Fortes, Chrigor Moraes, and Hugo Boumous lacked precision. On the other hand, CAHN also had notable counterattacks, but attempts by Alan, Vitao, and Nguyễn Quang Hải were not sharp enough to make a difference.

The turning point came in the second half when Selangor demonstrated superior efficiency. In the 60th minute, after a blocked shot, Faisal Halim quickly followed up and scored to open the scoring for the home side. Just 9 minutes later, the midfielder made his mark again with a decisive strike from outside the box, beating goalkeeper Nguyễn Filip to complete a brace and seal the 2-0 victory.

According to the schedule, Malaysia will face Vietnam in the final match of Group F on March 31, a decisive game for qualification to the 2027 Asian Cup finals. Meanwhile, Vietnam’s "Golden Star Warriors" have planned a preparation friendly against Bangladesh, expected to take place on March 26.