Vietnam takes third place in Tiger Cup with win against Malaysia

An aggressive Vietnam took third place in the Tiger Cup after beating Malaysia 2-1 in a fast-paced match.

Vietnamese midfielder Tran Truong Giang scored his country's first goal in the 44th minute after linking up with skipper Le Huynh Duc.

The first half also saw Indonesian referee Mohamad Setiono issue the game's first yellow card to Malaysian captain Tengku Hazman Raja Hassan after an undisciplined tackle against midfielder Nguyen Duc Thang.

The highly dynamic and mobile Vietnamese team were aggressive from the start Sunday and continued their strong play in the second half.

However Malaysia's Indra Putra Machyuddin took advantage of a wild ball in front of the Vietnamese goal following a free kick, to even the score at 1-1 10 minutes into the second half.

Vietnamese captain Le then helped get his team back on top by leading a rapid attack from near his team's goal.

He eventually crossed the ball to midfielder Nguyen Minh Phuong, who scored Vietnam's second goal in the 60th minute.

Referree Setiyono issued two more yellow card, to Vietnam's Nguyen Duc Thang and Nguyen Minh Phuong, for hard tackles.

The final of the Tiger Cup, between Indonesia and defending champions Thailand, will begin later on Sunday.