South Korean media points directly to Vietnam's chances of advancing in the Asian Cup

Daum from South Korea states that Vietnam is well positioned to secure a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup final tournament even though they trail Malaysia by 3 points.

The second consecutive victory against Nepal helped coach Kim Sang Sik’s team maintain second place on the standings with 9 points, 12 points behind leader Malaysia.

After the match ended, Daum (South Korea) published an analysis suggesting that Vietnam still has a real chance to reach the 2027 Asian Cup final: "Kim Sang Sik’s return continued with a 1-0 win over Nepal, securing a berth in the 2027 Asian Football Cup in Saudi Arabia,"the outlet headlined.

"The victory over Nepal keeps Vietnam close on the heels of group leader Malaysia. Vietnam took the lead thanks to an own goal by Nepal’s defender Suman Shrestha and maintained the three points. Malaysia’s 5-1 win over Laos in the same round did not reduce the gap, but Vietnam still holds a three-point difference with Malaysia, preserving hopes to qualify for the Saudi Arabian Asian Cup," the article's author reported about the match.

Clarifying Vietnam coach Kim Sang Sik’s team’s chances, the Korean newspaper explained that Malaysia is likely to be penalized by FIFA due to issues with naturalized players. If so, Vietnam stands a good chance to top Group F:

"Vietnam should not give up, especially considering the possibility of Malaysia’s defeat. Malaysia is currently suspected of falsifying documents during the naturalization process for European players. A FIFA report revealed that Malaysia forged birth certificates for seven players born in Spain, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Argentina, claiming their grandparents were Malaysian.

FIFA’s investigation uncovered the forged birth certificates. If FIFA’s sanctions are upheld, matches involving the suspected players will be annulled, placing Vietnam at the top of the group."

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