Malaysian media confident in home team's semifinal chances despite 0-4 loss to Vietnam

Despite suffering a 0-4 defeat against Vietnam U17 in the Group A opener of the 2026 Southeast Asian U17 Championship, Malaysian press maintains that Malaysia U17 still has a clear chance to qualify for the semifinals.

In its latest article, the publication Makan Bola stated: "Even after losing to Vietnam in the opening match on Monday, Malaysia's prospects for reaching the semifinals of the Southeast Asian U17 Championship remain wide open."

According to the report from Malaysian media, this defeat was an unfavorable start for Malaysia U17, as they could not withstand the effective attacking pressure from Vietnam U17 and conceded four goals. This result places Malaysia temporarily third in Group A after the first round.

In the other match, Indonesia U17 also secured a heavy 4-0 victory over Timor Leste U17, thereby sharing the top spot with Vietnam U17. Malaysia and Timor Leste respectively occupy the bottom two positions with no points yet.

Nevertheless, Malaysian media emphasized that the group situation remains very "open." With each team having two matches ahead, the opportunity for Malaysia U17 to correct mistakes and compete for a semifinal berth is entirely feasible. By achieving favorable results in the upcoming matches, especially against Timor Leste, this young team can fully rejoin the race.

The Southeast Asian U17 Championship 2026 is divided into three groups. Accordingly, the top three teams from each group and the best-performing runner-up will qualify for the semifinals. Thus, Group A, featuring Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Timor Leste, is likely to yield two advancing tickets.

In the second round on April 16, Vietnam U17 will face Timor Leste while Malaysia U17 confronts host Indonesia.