South Korea: 'Vietnam's heavy defeat still qualifies for Asian Cup'

South Korean media, including Chosun, paid special attention when Vietnam officially secured a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup finals.

Chosun emphasized: “Malaysia was ruled to forfeit the two matches they played, including the match against Nepal on March 25, 2025 and the match against Vietnam on June 10, 2025. According to Article 25.1, AFC determined Malaysia lost 0-3 in both matches due to using ineligible players, regardless of the actual on-field results.”

This decision completely changed the landscape of the group. South Korean media particularly highlighted a turning point for the Vietnamese team: “Vietnam's 0-4 loss to Malaysia was converted into a 3-0 win, helping coach Kim Sang-sik and his team rise to top the group with five consecutive wins, thereby officially securing a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup finals held in Saudi Arabia.”

Moreover, the story does not stop at the AFC level. Previously, FIFA also intervened and imposed strict penalties on Malaysia. Chosun mentioned: “FIFA also ruled Malaysia forfeit 0-3 in three international friendly matches (against Cape Verde, Singapore, and Palestine), causing the team to lose 22.5 points on the FIFA ranking and drop to 121st place in the world.”

The root of the incident stems from a shocking naturalization scandal in Malaysian football. FIFA discovered many players using invalid documents to legitimize their citizenship, leading to severe penalties for the individual players as well as the Malaysian Football Association (FAM). The involved players even received long-term suspensions, seriously affecting the national team's strength.

South Korean media evaluated this as an “inevitable” turning point, while acknowledging the role of coach Kim Sang-sik in maintaining the spirit of the Vietnamese team amid the pressure following the previous 0-4 loss to Malaysia.

From being questioned, the Vietnamese team reversed the situation to rise to the top of the group and secure a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup. This is seen as a surprising but reasonable outcome, in the context where disciplinary penalties completely changed the qualification landscape.

Meanwhile, Malaysia not only lost their qualification spot but also faces the risk of broader impacts on their standing in international football if penalties continue to tighten in the future.