Malaysia’s Declan Lambert says the team will play for national pride against Vietnam despite being eliminated from the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers
NATIONAL team wingback Declan Lambert has stated that Harimau Malaya will be playing for national pride in their final 2027 Asian Cup qualifier.
Malaysia faces Vietnam in Nam Dinh on Tuesday, already eliminated from contention for the finals.
“It’s a tough one to take, but it’s still an important game for us to show that we can still compete against – and beat – these teams despite us being out,” Lambert said.
He added the match is also to “show our pride as Malaysians” in a video shared by the Football Association of Malaysia.
Lambert confirmed the team’s elimination has not diminished their effort in training to impress the coaching staff.
Malaysia’s hopes of a second consecutive Asian Cup finals appearance were ended by an AFC points deduction.
The AFC Disciplinary and Ethics Committee found FAM breached regulations by fielding ineligible players.
This breach occurred in two qualifying matches against Nepal and Vietnam.
Vietnam has already qualified for the 2027 finals, leading Group F with 15 points.
Malaysia sits second in the group with nine points, followed by Laos and Nepal with three each.
