2008 champions Vietnam came from behind to score a 2-1 victory over Malaysia with crucial away goals from Vo Huy Toan and Nguyen Van Quyet in the first leg of their AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final at the Shah Alam Stadium in Selangor.
Both sides came flying out of the blocks. It was box-to-box action with Vietnam getting the first chance at goal when Van Quyet Nguyen combined with Le Cong Vinh to set up Hoang Thinh Ngo who sliced his shot agonisingly wide.
Four minutes later, Malaysia were denied a penalty when Norshahrul Idlan Talaha was bumped from behind in the box only for the Chinese referee to wave off the meek appeals from the home side.
The pace was relentless. In the ninth minute, man-of-the-match Pham Thanh Luong turned Zubir Azmi down the left before releasing Cong Vinh whose shot was gathered comfortably by Khairul Fahmi Che Mat in goal.
Three minutes later, Malaysia got the reprieve they needed when Vietnamese defender Huy Hung Nguyen handled in the box after a corner and was shown a yellow card by referee Ma Ning. Captain Safiq Rahim stepped up to score his third goal of the tournament from the spot.
Leong - Vietnam outclass Malaysia side who lacked spark
The dubious penalty did not rattle the visitors who were even more determined to break down the Malaysian defence with Pham leading the way.
Their bravery in front of a full-house Shah Alam crowd was rewarded in the 31st minute. Pham went charging down the middle before releasing Van Quyet whose shot was palmed away by Fahmi Che Mat, only to see Vo Huy Toan slam the rebound into the roof of the net to level the scores.
Tension was in the air as Malaysia struggled to cope with Vietnam's sleek passing game. Striker Safee Sali was lucky to remain on the pitch when he took out Huy Toan with a tackle from behind in the 44th minute. Japanese coach Toshiya Miura and his officials were seen berating the fourth official.
Dollah Salleh's men fashioned their first chance of the second period just four minutes after the break. Zubir made a good, overlapping run down the left and played in Safee, only for the Johor Darul Takzim forward to blaze his shot over the bar.
Just when Vietnam seemed to be conceding the initiative to the home team by taking out their best player Pham and replacing him with Mac Hong Quan in the 60th minute, the latter's first touch released Van Quyet in the box. The forward cut in and rifled a thunderous left-footed shot past a hapless Fahmi Che Mat in goal to make it 2-1 to the visitors.
Miura's tactical substitution began making even more sense as Hong Quan made a fool of the Malaysian defence in the 65th minute. He produced a majestic turn before laying the ball off to an unmarked Cong Vinh, only to see Muslim Ahmad make a late tackle to throw him off his stride.
The home team became frustrated as the clock ran down. Captain Safiq Rahim lost his cool when he threw punches at Tien Thanh Dinh only to see the referee produce a yellow card, much to the frustration of the Vietnamese players.
With 15 minutes left on the clock, Van Quyet swung a perfect cross into the box but a sliding Huy Toan failed to connect with the ball as Malaysia were let off the hook yet again.
Miura was left ruing his team's wasteful finishing as the group stage co-hosts had numerous opportunities to increase their lead in the final 10 minutes.
Dollah brought on Indra Putra Mahayuddin in the 80th minute and the move almost came to fruition in the dying seconds. The Felda United veteran glanced his free header narrowly wide off a corner-kick from another substitute Manaf Mamat as Malaysia squandered a golden opportunity to make it 2-2.
As the torrential rain came pouring down, the referee blew the whistle to send the Malaysian fans home disappointed in their team's lack of belief on the pitch.
The other semifinal played a day earlier saw 10-man Thailand hold Philippines to a goalless draw at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila ahead of Wednesday's second leg in Bangkok.
Vietnam and Malaysia will do it all over again when their deciding leg takes place at the My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi on Thursday as Miura's men look to win through to their first final in six years.
Malaysia: Khairul Fahmi Che Mat (GK), Mahali Jasuli, Zubir Azmi, Muslim Ahmad, Fadhli Shas, Safiq Rahim (C), S. Kunalan, Azamuddin Akil (80' Indra Putra Mahayuddin), Hafiz Kamal (57' Gary Steven Robbat), Norshahrul Talaha (72' Manaf Mamat), Safee Sali
Vietnam: Nguyen Manh Tran (GK), Le Phuoc Tu, Tien Thanh Dinh, Van Bien Nguyen, Ngoc Hai Que, Hoang Thinh Ngo, Van Quyet Nguyen, Pham Thanh Luong (60' Mac Hong Quan), Vo Huy Toan (84' Thanh Hien Nguyen), Huy Hung Nguyen, Le Cong Vinh (C)