Malaysia Stun Thailand in AFF Championship Semi-Final first leg

Malaysia have stunned Thailand with an epic 1-0 Victory in the AFF Championship semi-final, while Vietnam and Indonesia saw out a 0-0 draw in the other match.

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While this was a great result fro the 2010 Champions, the game was not without controversy, with Thailand arguably lucky to have expected so lightly.

Malaysia took the lead in the  in the 11th minute when Faisal celebrated his 25th birthday by scuffing his volley through the legs of goalkeeper Kittipong Phoothawchuek after Ruventhiran Vengadesan’s headed knock down.

In the 55th minute though the Malaysians thought they had the game sealed when Tan scored what looked like a perfect header, with a goal initially being awarded, before referee Kim Dae-yong to disallow the goal.

Television replays cleared showed that there had been no infringement, again drawing  attention tp the fact that VAR is not being used in such a high-level tournament.

And with only a slender lead going into the second-leg, Thailand are still the overall favorites. 

Indonesia 0 Vietnam 0

Meanwhile in the other semi-final neither team break the deadlock in what ended up a bore draw. Overall Vietnam where the slightly better team in the match with 56 percent of possession, but neither team ever really looked like scoring and Vietnam will certainly be happy with this  result.

Indonesia on the other hand will be slightly disappointed with the match, only registered two shots on target and seemingly needing a miracle if they are to progress to the final.

2022 AFF Championship – What next?

The second-leg’s of the semi-finals are due to take place on Tuesday 10th January, with the bookies predicting a Thailand vs Vietnam final, but both Indonesia and particularly Malays a at least have a fighting chance heading into the match. 

The final is due to take place on January 16th, with Thailand the defending champions.