Malaysia head coach refuses to comment on referee

Elavarasan said Vietnam only needed a draw so they could play more defensively, while Malaysia were under a must-win pressure. In that situation, Vietnam’s experience were shown.

“The weather was not ideal to play football. But Vietnam have played well… We are not bad, but the result has pointed out the difference.”

Elavarasan did not say anything about the calls of referee Jumpei Iida, who gave Malaysia two red cards and Vietnam a penalty kick.

“I don’t have anything to say about the referee,” Elavarasan said. “I can’t read his mind, just like I can’t predict the weather. Everything can happen in football. We have to accept it.”

On Facebook, Vietnamese fans discussed the match, with most of them agreed with the referee’s decisions.

“I think the referee did a good job in this game. The red cards are well-deserved because they were relevant fouls,” user Hoang Huy Trong commented.

“We do not even need VAR to see that these are dangerous plays from Malaysia players. They can only blame themselves for not keeping a cool head,” user Van Minh commented.

Some Malaysia fans said the penalty was undeserved. User Marga Mulya commented: “I don’t think it was a penalty kick for Vietnam. The ball touched another part of the player’s body before touching his hand.”

Other Malaysian fans expressed frustration that Vietnamese players were not punished for similar fouls.

Malaysia will play the final game with Singapore on Thursday before exiting SEA Games 32, while Vietnam will play Thailand before both enter the semifinals.