When Malaysia take on Vietnam in the semifinals of the 2026 ASEAN Championship -- starting with Sunday's first leg at Kuala Lumpur Stadium -- the main prize is obviously a spot in the decider.
There is also the fact that, when both teams last met in the knockout round of the tournament, it was the Vietnamese who prevailed 3-2 on aggregate in the 2018 final to become champions of Southeast Asian football for the second time in their history.
But perhaps the most intriguing subplot surrounding the upcoming tie is that controversy from their latest meetings will guarantee that there should be plenty of spice when the duo lock horns once more.
It was back on June 10, 2025 when Malaysia hosted Vietnam in the third round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, with both teams having won their opening games.
Harimau Malaya had not beaten the Vietnamese in eight previous meetings dating back to 2014, only to pull off a resounding 4-0 triumph at Bukit Jalil National Stadium that evening.
The very next day, as it eventually emerged, a formal complaint was submitted to FIFA stating "reason to believe that certain foreign-born players [were] ineligible to represent the Malaysian national football team", citing that "their naturalisation process and international debut took place within a questionable timeframe".
There was initially plenty of speculation around the identity of the complainant. Indonesia, fierce Southeast Asian rivals of both teams, were even dragged into the conversation even though they were not even competing at that stage -- having already booked their ticket to the Asian Cup in the previous round. Earlier this year, it was finally confirmed that the Vietnam Football Federation had filed the complaint -- according to Asian Football Confederation secretary general Windsor Paul John.
In summary, the Football Association of Malaysia were ultimately found guilty. The seven players in question received 12-month bans that were upheld even after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
More damaging for Malaysian's quest to qualify for the Asian Cup, their earlier victories over Nepal and Vietnam were overturned to 3-0 defeats -- leaving them with a insurmountable mountain to climb even with one final match to go, as they went from leading their group to trailing the Vietnamese by an unassailable six points.
Considering both teams faced off in their final qualifier, the match passed without any major incident as Vietnam claimed a 3-1 victory.
Yet, even if there is no lingering bad blood, there should still be no shortage of incentive for Malaysia to get one back over the Vietnamese.
Even without the suspended septet, the Malaysians are far from at their strongest at the ongoing ASEAN Championship -- officially known as the ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026.
With clubs not obliged to release players for the tournament, Malaysia interim coach Tan Cheng Hoe is having to make do with the best at his disposal. Even Tan was something of an emergency appointment, handed the role on a caretaker basis just a month before the start of the tournament following the abrupt departure of predecessor Peter Cklamovski.
And still, Harimau Malaya -- with a handful of seasoned campaigners combined with plenty of inexperienced-but-bright young prospects -- are into the last four, picking up nine points from four games in Group B and losing only to the tournament's record seven-time champions Thailand.
Malaysia have already risen to the occasion despite the tribulations. Captain Paulo Josué has led the way with three of his side's even goals so far, Mohamadou Sumareh has provided much-needed experience and X-factor, while G. Pavithran has shone the brightest among the team's precocious talent.
Now they face arguably the toughest test at the tournament in the form of the reigning champions.
While it was not exactly straightforward, Vietnam still reached the semis by finishing top of Group A. There was a bit of a stumble when they were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Singapore, but they quickly issued an emphatic response by beating Indonesia 3-0 away in Bogor.
The Vietnamese have racked up 13 goals while conceding just once in four matches, and all signs suggest they remain the team to beat as they look to successfully defend the crown for the first time.
Nonetheless, in their draw with Singapore, as well as their final-day 3-1 win over Cambodia -- which was only secured with two goals in the final six minutes -- it has been shown that Vietnam can be frustrated.
Malaysia largely proved they can adopt a more-conservative, counterattacking approach in their earlier meeting with Thailand, even if they went on to lose 2-0. They only fell behind through a penalty before the second goal arrived when they had a numerical deficit as rightback Jimmy Raymond was off the field receiving medical treatment. Otherwise, they had done well enough to stifle the dangerous Thais.
A similar gameplan might be called for against Vietnam, although Harimau Malaya might need to show a bit more adventure especially at home in the first leg -- where another sellout crowd is expected in Kuala Lumpur.
While they will still be the underdogs, Malaysia should have no shortage of motivation to pull off an upset -- even if it is not spite that is their primary motivation.