Naturalized duo helps Malaysia keep up with Vietnam team

Malaysia team had a smooth start in the final qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup. Photo: FAM .

At Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, the "Malaysian Tigers" had a dream start in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers with a convincing 2-0 victory over Nepal. This was also the perfect debut for new head coach Peter Cklamovski.

Dutch-born naturalized rookie Hector Herve quickly left his mark in his first appearance for the Malaysian national team when he opened the scoring in the 29th minute. His long-range shot from outside the penalty area hit the opposing defender's foot and changed direction, leaving the Nepalese goalkeeper no time to react.

In the second half, it was another naturalized player, La'Vere Corbin-Ong, who shined. The English-born defender sealed the victory for the home team with a goal to make it 2-0 in the 71st minute. Meanwhile, Nepal barely caused any trouble for the home team.

With this result, Malaysia maintained their unbeaten record against Nepal in 8 encounters. The victory brought 3 full points, and helped coach Peter Cklamovski's team rank 2nd in Group F, equal on points with Vietnam but with a lower goal difference. On the same day, the "Golden Star Warriors" defeated Laos 5-0.

On June 10, Malaysia will enter the next match in Group F against Vietnam. According to AFC regulations, only the top team in each group will qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup finals in Saudi Arabia.

Provisional rankings of Group F after the first round of matches.

Source: https://znews.vn/bo-doi-nhap-tich-giup-malaysia-bam-sat-tuyen-viet-nam-post1540846.html