KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia again tasted defeat in their second Group D football match in the Under-23 Asian Cup in Doha.
The Young Tigers, who lost their opening match 2-0 to Uzbekistan on Wednesday, also lost by the same scoreline on Saturday at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Vietnam, who beat Kuwait 3-1 in their opening match, were just too good for the Malaysians.
Spanish coach Juan Torres Garrido made some changes to the Malaysian starting lineup that lost to Uzbekistan, taking out Syahir Bashah and Safwan Mazlan.
However, nothing changed, Malaysia still conceded two goals and failed to score, just like in the first match.
Vietnam, who showed better teamwork and pace than Malaysia, again proved that they are far ahead of their Asean rivals in football development.
Vietnam shot ahead in the 39th minute, scoring through a free kick by Khuat Van Khang. They doubled their lead through a penalty taken by Hoang Minh Khoa
in the 60th minute following a foul by Ubaidullah Shamsul.
The Malaysians still have one more group game, against Kuwait, but they can start packing their bags for an early return home.
Forget about qualifying for the Paris Olympics, that's just too hard for Malaysia.
