Harimau Muda mauls Vietnamese youngsters

The Harimau Muda (Under-21) squad emerged champions of the Newspaper Cup after beating Vietnam Youth 1-0 in the final in Pleiku, Vietnam yesterday.

Although they played without their main strikers Syahrul Azwari Ibrahim and A.Thamil Arasu, who were injured, Harimau Muda succeeded in penetrating the opponents' defence through a header by Ahmad Hazwan Bakri in the 57th minute.

The national team faced a strong opposition in front of 12,000 supporters.

Nevertheless, the excellent performance of goalkeeper Mohd Izham Tarmizi and defender D. Kenny Pallraj denied several dangerous Vietnamese attempts, especially through their striker Tran Phi Son.

After Malaysia netted the goal in the second half, the hosts became more aggressive to the extent of causing injury to national player Adam Nor Azlin and he had to be treated outside the field.

The attitude of the Vietnamese supporters who threw bottles at the Harimau Muda players also marred the match.