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JAKARTA – Fergus Tierney hopes his winning goal against Vietnam will serve as a springboard for Harimau Malaya to maintain their positive momentum after Malaysia ended their 2026 FIFA Asean Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory in the third-place play-off here last night.
The 23-year-old striker, who came on as a substitute in the second half, scored shortly after his introduction to give Malaysia the win at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
“When I came on, I really wanted to make an impact on the match. I think that might have been my first touch in the game.
“I’m really happy that I could help the team and I’m very happy at this moment. I hope we can maintain this momentum as a team,” said the Cyprus-based PAC Omonia 29M player at a post-match press conference.
The victory also ended Malaysia’s 12-year winless run against Vietnam, with the national side’s last victory coming in the second leg of the 2014 AFF Cup semi-final.
Under interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe, Malaysia ended the tournament unbeaten and without conceding a goal, recording three wins and one draw in four matches.
Malaysia opened their campaign with a 3-0 win over Bangladesh before being held to a goalless draw by Indonesia, followed by a resounding 6-0 victory over Singapore.
However, Harimau Malaya missed out on a place in the final on goals scored after finishing the Division 1 Group A campaign level with hosts Indonesia on points and goal difference. –BERNAMA
