Midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai (in red) in action during the match. Photo: VNA

The game started off with a balance as the two sides launched consecutive attacks against each other.

At the 28^th minute, Nguyen Quang Hai put the ball in the back of the net but it was ruled out for offside. However, he opened the score for Vietnam from a pass of captain Que Ngoc Hai just five minutes before the first half’s official time.

It is Vietnam’s first goal in the qualifiers.

In the second half, Vietnam showed their unyielding spirits as Malaysia strengthened their offence with a slightly higher possession of 52 percent.

The home team successfully maintained the score until the end of the match, thereby gaining total four points in Group G.

They will play Indonesia in an away match five days later.

Vietnam have been drawn in the same group of World Cup qualifiers with regional rivals Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as the favourites United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Earlier, Vietnam had a goalless match with Thailand in a frenetic match in the opener Group G in Thailand’s Pathum Thani province on September 5.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup’s second qualifying round for Asia features 40 teams, pided into eight groups of five teams, playing in the home-away format.

The eight group winners and four best runners-up will qualify for the third and final round of World Cup qualifiers./.

VNF/VNA