KUALA LUMPUR: There’s nothing like being in the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil to watch the Harimau Malaya take on Vietnam in the AFF Suzuki Cup final, first-leg tie last night.
But for about 7,000 Harimau Malaya supporters, watching the match unfold on a big screen at the Axiata Arena felt just as surreal.
With all 80,000 tickets for the match sold out in a short time, many were left disappointed.
But all that was forgotten as the 7,000-odd fans rocked the Axiata Arena. There they were cheering, shouting, clapping and chanting as the match unfolded before them on a giant screen, courtesy of a joint effort by the Youth and Sports Ministry and the Malaysia Stadium Board (MSB).
MSB chief executive officer Azman Fahmi Osman told Bernama that the ministry and MSB wanted to give fans, who could not get tickets, a special experience.
The return leg of the final will be held at the My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi on Saturday.
Malaysia marched into the final after beating Thailand on the away-goal rule.
The teams played out a goalless stalemate in the first leg of the semi-finals before drawing 2-2 in Bangkok.
Vietnam made the final after a 4-2 aggregate win over the Philippines.
Malaysia last qualified for the final in 2014, losing 3-4 on aggregate to Thailand.
In 2016, Malaysia failed to get past the group stage.
Malaysia have only won the Cup once, when Datuk K. Rajagopal guided them to a 4-2 aggregate win over Indonesia in the 2010 final. – Bernama
