Full-strength Malaysia 'would have challenged' Vietnam but Tan Cheng Hoe proud of young charges

As Malaysia's brave challenge at the ASEAN Championship -- officially known as the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026 -- came to an end on Wednesday, interim coach Tan Cheng Hoe was left with mixed emotions.

On one hand, he was left wondering what might have been.

With a whole host of key players not released by their clubs for international duty, Harimau Malaya had to assemble something of a makeshift squad to compete at Southeast Asia's premier international competition.

Only four players in the squad had more than 20 caps to their names at the start of the tournament. 19 of the 26 players called up had made less than ten international appearances, and nine had not even made their debut.

Even Tan was only appointed a month before the start of play, airlifted into the role after the abrupt departure of predecessor Peter Cklamovski at the end of June.

Yet, led by a handful of seasoned campaigners like captain Paulo Josué, and fellow naturalised players Mohamadou Sumareh, Ezequiel Agüero and Endrick, Malaysia would valiantly qualify out of the group stage to reach the semifinals -- where Wednesday's 2-0 loss to Vietnam at Hanoi's Mỹ Đình National Stadium would complete a 4-0 aggregate defeat to the defending champions.

"Had I had the best players available, I'm sure we could have competed with Vietnam and challenged for the result," said Tan.

"As a coach, however, I'm still proud of these young players. They came [in] and really gave me confidence.

"I believe they are the future of the Malaysia team."

True enough, there were certainly plenty of bright lights shining over the past month.

21-year-old G. Pavithran -- who remarkably is yet to make his senior debut at club level -- was a standout on the left side of attack, always threatening with his pace and skill even if he can still improve with his final delivery.

Coming in for his first two international appearances in both legs against Vietnam, 22-year-old Aysar Hadi battled manfully against Vietnam's star striker Rafaelson, while 20-year-old left-back Faris Danish and 23-year-old Daryl Sham showed glimpses when they finally got their chance as the tournament progressed.

Still, Vietnam ultimately had too much quality and experience across the two legs, even though the Malaysians actually enjoyed more possession in the opening encounter in Kuala Lumpur -- and might even have forced a different result with better finishing.

The scare they gave did jolt Vietnam alive, as the three-time champions produced a far-improved display in the second leg -- and might even have won by a far greater margin were it not for some heroics by opposition goalkeeper Azri Ghani.

"Even though we lost the home game 2-0 and the away game 2-0 against Vietnam, definitely -- as a coach - I feel proud of them," Tan said.

"The commitment from the players really makes me proud of them.

"At the same time, we know Vietnam have sent their best team. They are the defending champions and they have had better preparation.

"Hopefully, after this tournament, my players -- especially the young players -- will gain the experience, gain the exposure and continue to improve in the future."

Malaysian football has gone through somewhat of a tumultuous period in recent times.

Earlier this year, a FIFA verdict that the Football Association of Malaysia were guilty of using falsified documents to illegally gained citizenship for seven players to represent the national team was upheld even after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The septet in question were issued with 12-month bans, fines were imposed, and Malaysia had victories in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers -- including a 4-0 rout of Vietnam -- overturned, which ultimately killed off their quest to qualify for the continental tournament.

There was plenty of backlash with even the country's Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeo calling for accountability from the FAM.

While the repercussions of that saga are still being felt, Tan hopes a new chapter has now begun.

"The past is the past," Tan reflected.

"Hopefully with the new set of players -- with this group of players -- I'm sure we can improve in the future.

"At the same time, I believe the fans are still behind us, to support us for upcoming matches."