Malaysia beat Vietnam 2-1 in a thrilling Sepak Takraw World Cup semi-final to set up a quadrant final clash against India tonight
KUALA LUMPUR: The national squad managed to meet its target of qualifying for the quadrant final of the 2026 Sepak Takraw World Cup after defeating Vietnam 2-1 in a thrilling semi-final at Titiwangsa Stadium today.
The national team, comprising Muhammad Afifuddin Mohd Razali, Muhammad Shaharil Aiman Halim, Amirul Zazwan Amir and Aidil Aiman Azwawi, started off brilliantly by winning the first set 15-10.
However, Vietnam, consisting of Nguyen Hoang Lan, Vuong Minh Chau, Nguyen Van Ly and Huynh Ngoc Sang, fought back to take control of the second set 15-12, thus dragging the match to the deciding set.
In the dramatic decider, Malaysia were momentarily anxious when they trailed 9-12 before managing to equalise at 14-14 and finally claim victory with 17-14.
The victory saw Ahmad Jais Baharun’s men book a slot in the final against India, who beat Myanmar 2-1 in another semi-final.
Earlier, Malaysia struggled before defeating India 2-1 in the final match of Group C to book a slot in the quarter-finals of the event.
The final match between the two teams is scheduled to take place at 8 pm tonight.
