It was not difficult for the defending champions to overwhelm Malaysia from thefirst minutes of the match.
Striker Pham Hai Yen opened Vietnam’s account in the fifth minute. From NguyenThi Bich Thuy’s right-wing pass, Yen found the back of the net. TheHanoian has now scored in four SEA Games in a row since 2017. It was her 40thinternational goal.
Another chance came to Vietnam in the 16th minute. Nguyen Thi My Anh popped upin the penalty area and shot, but the ball hit the crossbar. Yen got on therebound and forced an excellent save from goalkeeper Ezza Razak.
Vietnam threatened the goal again, as Duong Thi Van passed smoothly from theright wing before captain Huynh Nhu released the ball to Yen for thefinish. The Malaysian goalkeeper was helpless, but the ball hit the crossbarand went out.
In the 24th minute, Bich Thuy doubled the score for the Vietnamese side. Nhuset up Thuy for the finish, who gave the goalkeeper no chance.
Malaysia were on the backfoot and pinned in their half, while Vietnam calmlydictated the pace of the game.
The victory over Malaysia helps Vietnam temporarily rise to the top of Group A.On May 6, Vietnam will face Myanmar.
Meanwhile, in the othermatch at the same time, Thailand easily beat Singapore 4-0 to go top of GroupB./.