Cambodia attacks 'fiery', holds back Malaysia giant

The clash between Cambodia and Malaysia is the first match of the 2024 AFF Cup. Before this match, the Malaysian team was considered the favorite, having won all 6 matches and scored 18 goals in the last 6 encounters. In general, the Malaysian team has also been unbeaten against Cambodia in the past 54 years. The last time the "Malaysian Tigers" lost to Cambodia was at the 1970 AFC Asian Cup. At that time, the Cambodian team defeated Malaysia 3-2.

However, the determination of the Cambodian team is very high. In addition to the encouragement of home fans, Cambodia has deployed a team of naturalized players including Yudai Ogawa (Japan), Coulibaly (Ivory Coast), Mohammed Faeez Khan (South Africa)... In addition, on the attack line, Sieng Chanthea is also in good form.

The Malaysian team is still rated higher even though they are away.

With superior strength, Malaysia was the team that played better in the first half. Endrick - a player playing for Ho Chi Minh City Club was placed in the center position by coach Pau Martí and played brilliantly. He continuously moved widely, helping the Malaysian team have many dangerous attacks. In the 9th and 28th minutes, the striker wearing the number 10 jersey of the Malaysian team had 2 dangerous shots, forcing Cambodian goalkeeper Vireak Dara to work hard to block.

However, Endrick did not have to regret for too long because the Malaysian team also found the opening score in the first half. In the 35th minute, Daniel Ting escaped intelligently on the left wing and crossed the ball accurately, creating conditions for Wilkin to fly and head the ball into the Cambodian net.

After leading 1-0, the Malaysian team continued to attack, having another dangerous opportunity in the 40th minute from Paulo Josue's header. Notably, the player who opened up this attack for Malaysia was still Endrick.

On the other side, the Cambodian team played hard in the first half. From the 10th to the 30th minute, the home team increased the pressure and had a number of scoring opportunities. However, the Cambodian attack was still not good and coach Gyotoku Koji's team could not penetrate the Malaysian net.

The Malaysian team (in yellow) showed their extensive experience in the AFF Cup, leading Cambodia after the first half.

In the second half, the Cambodian team suddenly played with excitement, pushing up their attacking formation. Within just 7 minutes, Cambodia scored 2 consecutive goals to lead Malaysia 2-1. In the 53rd minute, Kim Sokyuth took advantage of a mistake by the Malaysian defense, creating an assist for naturalized striker Coulibaly to bring the match back to the starting line. In the 60th minute, Sa Ty - a player who had just entered the field for 3 minutes - made the Olympic stadium explode with an easy tap-in, raising the score to 2-1.

Unexpectedly receiving two painful blows, coach Pau Martí was forced to change tactics, sending attacking players like Fergus Tierney, Ezequiel Agüero and Darren Lok onto the field. In the 74th minute, Fergus Tierney fired a difficult shot outside the penalty area, helping Malaysia equalize the score 2-2.

Sa Ty helps Cambodia lead Malaysia 2-1

In the last 10 minutes of the match, both Malaysia and Cambodia played an open game to find more goals. Malaysia had better ball control (55%) and had 2 more dangerous shots. However, the away team's strikers were wasteful and had to share the points on the opening day with a 2-2 draw.

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Asean Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 is broadcast live and in full on FPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bat-ngo-ngay-khai-man-aff-cup-campuchia-tan-cong-ruc-lua-niu-chan-ong-lon-malaysia-185241208194247591.htm