Tierney’s strike secures third for Malaysia in FIFA ASEAN Cup
Malaysia secured third place in the Fifa Asean Cup 2026 after edging Vietnam 1-0 in the third-place playoff at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on 5 October 2026, with substitute Fergus Tierney scoring the only…
Source: Free Malaysia Today · October 5, 2026 at 9:32 PM · AI-assisted report
Single-source
GELORA BUNG KARNO STADIUM, JAKARTA, 6 OCTOBER 2026 —
Malaysia secured third place in the Fifa Asean Cup 2026 after edging Vietnam 1-0 in the third-place playoff at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on 5 October 2026, with substitute Fergus Tierney scoring the only goal in the 62nd minute, according to Free Malaysia Today.
Market Impact
The victory ended Malaysia’s more than decade‑long winless run against Vietnam, the last victory having come in the second leg of the 2014 AFF Cup semi-finals, and allowed the team to finish the tournament on a positive note after narrowly missing a final berth on goals scored despite being level with hosts Indonesia on points and goal difference in Division 1 Group A, the report said.
Interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe made three changes to his starting lineup, leaving out defensive mainstay Brad Tapp and winger Arif Aiman Hanapi, while captain Dion Cools was unavailable after departing the national camp because of urgent family matters, Free Malaysia Today reported.
In the opening half Vietnam looked more threatening, repeatedly probing Malaysia’s defence with attacking moves and high crosses that kept goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi and the backline busy, the article noted. Malaysia came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 39th minute when Bergson da Silva produced a skillful dribble to beat a Vietnam defender, but his effort was saved by goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang, the report said.
Four minutes later Vietnam responded through Nguyen Hai Long, whose close‑range free‑kick was comfortably gathered by Syihan, and in first‑half stoppage time Ngo Dang Khoa tried his luck from outside the penalty area, but his effort drifted narrowly wide of the right post, according to the source.
After the restart Vietnam continued to threaten, with Williams Minh Hoang firing a low effort narrowly wide of the left post in the 57th minute, the report stated. Malaysia replied two minutes later when Bergson beat the offside trap, but his powerful strike went wide of the right post, it added.
Tierney made an immediate impact after replacing Bergson, receiving Manuel Hidalgo’s pass before turning sharply and unleashing a powerful shot past Le Giang to give Malaysia the lead in the 62nd minute, the article said. Syihan and the defence then worked tirelessly to protect the lead, including denying Le Pham Thanh Long’s effort in the closing stages, to complete the tournament without conceding a single goal, Free Malaysia Today reported.
The win allowed Malaysia to end the tournament on a positive note after finishing level with Indonesia on points and goal difference in Division 1 Group A but missing out on a place in the final on goals scored, the report concluded.
Related: Fergus Tierney