Gol Tierney julang Harimau Malaya raih tempat ketiga Piala Asean

Malaysia has finally ended a 12-year waiting period, as Fergus Tierney scored the winning goal for the team in the AFC Asian Cup 2026 third-place playoff against Vietnam at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. The substitute Tierney made history by scoring the lone goal in the 62nd minute, securing Malaysia's third-place finish in the tournament.

This victory was particularly significant for Malaysia, as they last defeated Vietnam in the AFF Championship semifinals in 2014. Throughout the match, Tan Cheng Hoe's tactical substitutions, including Brad Tapp and Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi, kept Malaysia's defense strong, while Dion Cools, who left the national team for family reasons, could not be substituted.

Despite early pressure from Vietnam, Malaysia managed to hold onto a slim lead until Tierney's decisive moment. The win allows Malaysia to close out the tournament on a positive note, despite sharing points with Indonesia in Group A Division 1. Malaysia last defeated Vietnam 4-0 in the 2027 Asian Cup qualification, but the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) canceled that result, awarding the win to the Golden Star Warriors due to allegations of falsified documents involving seven Malaysian players.