Vietnam brushed aside Nguyen Van Toan’s first-half send-off to hand Malaysia a 3-0 defeat in Hanoi and move to the top of the Group B standings at the Asean Football Federation Championship.
Nguyen Tien Linh put Park Hang-seo’s side in front with a 28th-minute header before Van Toan was dismissed four minutes later for a second yellow card.
His absence did little to affect the Vietnamese, who doubled their advantage in the 64th minute when Que Ngoc Hai scored from the penalty spot after Azam Azmi’s send-off two minutes earlier left both teams a man short.
Vietnam added a third through Nguyen Hoang Duc with seven minutes remaining to ensure the Vietnamese collected their second win in a row as they look to reclaim the title they won in 2018.
Park’s team leads the standings on goal difference from Malaysia, who have played a game more.
Singapore lies third, also on six points from two matches, after their 2-0 win over Laos earlier in the day.
Irfan Fandi gave the four-time champions a 32nd-minute lead with a header and Shawal Anuar dispossessed Laos goalkeeper Keo Souvannasangso to score his side’s second in the 94th minute to secure the points.
The opening phase of the Asean Championship will conclude on January 3, when the top two sides in each group advance to the knockout rounds.
The semi-finals will be played on a home-and-away basis on January 6 and 9, with the final, also over two legs, on January 13 and 16.
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