VIETNAM coach Park Hang Seo antagonised Malaysians when he dismissed the national team's chances at the AFF Cup and instead plumped for Indonesia as his side's main rival in Group B. He was not wrong.
A wry smile would have formed on Hang Seo's face after Malaysia named a weakened side for the tournament, and just 24 players instead of the maximum 30 allowed. It immediately eased his worries of a rival that could have upset his carefully-laid plans despite being unbeaten in five, extended to six on Sunday, in a head-to-head duel with Tan Cheng Hoe since 2018.
He would have been even more pleased when he saw the Malaysian line-up on Sunday, featuring no naturalised players in the first XI, and only 18 to choose from. He might even have castigated himself for naming such a strong team at the Bishan Stadium, which still only featured five players from Vietnam's 2-1 win over Malaysia in Dubai last June.
Vietnam showed why they are there among Asia's best 12 teams competing in the final group stage of World Cup qualifying. They ran rings around the hapless Malaysians, pressed to regain possession almost at will, and opened the spaces to score two quick goals in the first half once defender Aidil Zafuan Radzak, making his 100th international appearance, was out of the picture.
The reigning champions did not press home their advantage in the second half until the 89th minute, when fellow defender Shahrul Saad followed captain Aidil off, for a deserved 3-0 scoreline that did not truly reflect their dominance and the gulf in standards against the hopelessly outclassed Malaysians.
Despite beating Cambodia 3-1 and Laos 4-0 in the first two matches, and not quite as convincing as the scorelines suggest, the apprehension going into the Vietnam encounter among the Malaysian players and fan support was clear. An error by Aidil after 70 seconds from which Vietnam nearly scored set the tone for the rest of the match.
Nobody could say they did not see this coming. Not when the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) have still not given a convincing reason why Super League champions Johor Darul Ta'zim's best players were not selected.
Why did FAM only name 24 players without putting a contingency plan in place in case of a Covid-19 outbreak, which has claimed four victims, and injuries, with at least three now sidelined?
Why did they not plan a proper preparation period for the AFF Cup, with the opening match coming just six days after the Malaysia Cup final?
What was the point of a stop-start domestic calendar, insisting on going on an international break in Jordan in October which forced a two-week quarantine on the players and thus condensed the Malaysia Cup into a tight schedule?
Why did they not play the Malaysia Cup through the October international break and give Cheng Hoe all of November to plan, play friendlies and let his players recover from fatigue and injuries?
Was FAM trying to pull a fast one in setting a target of reaching the final when it was clear to all and sundry that this team would struggle just to get out of the group stage?
Why was the planning so utterly ridiculous, if there was a plan at all, and when will FAM come clean on what their intention for the AFF Cup was?
So many questions, yet no answers are forthcoming.
This sad state of affairs could not have been envisioned just two years ago when the national team were riding high on the back of victories over Thailand and Indonesia in the World Cup qualifying campaign.
Granted, the pandemic, injuries and availability of players have played havoc with Cheng Hoe's plans but how could the team have regressed so much, so soon?
Whose interest does it serve to send a half-baked national team to the AFF Cup? FAM should have treated the tournament seriously or sent the youth team instead. Half measures have no point.
The absence of midfielders is a sore point with Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi and Baddrol Bakhtiar at fault for the first and third goals respectively, leaving Cheng Hoe with no options following Junior Eldstal's injury in the opening match.
Cheng Hoe has a week to recover Aidil and Shahrul ahead of the do-or-die meeting with Indonesia. Denmark-based defender Dion Cools, who can also slot into midfield, is scheduled to arrive during the week to bolster Malaysia's options while winger Faisal Halim and goalkeeper Khairulazhan Khalid could rejoin the side after being cleared of Covid-19.
It is not over yet, and the Vietnam match was never going to determine Malaysia's fate in the tournament. But the manner of defeat leaves Indonesia salivating at the prospect of avenging their home-and-away World Cup qualifying defeats to Malaysia next weekend. Let's hope this does not turn into a total disaster.