Vietnam U17 boasts star players who have scored 12 goals, yet Malaysian media remains confident about their Southeast Asian championship luck.

Malaysian media comments before the 2026 Southeast Asian U17 Championship final between Vietnam U17 and Malaysia U17.

At 7:30 PM today, Vietnam U17 will face Malaysia U17 in the Southeast Asian U17 final. Ahead of the match, the Malaysian newspaper Bharian acknowledges that Vietnam U17 is superior with an unbeaten record, scoring 16 goals and conceding only once.

"On paper, Vietnam U17 is rated higher, especially due to their unbeaten run throughout the tournament in Surabaya. This team has the strongest offense with 16 goals, while also possessing a very solid defense that has allowed only one goal," writes the Malaysian newspaper.

The newspaper points out Vietnam's four most dangerous players: Van Duong, Nguyen Luc, Manh Cuong, and Sy Bach, who have collectively scored 12 goals, with Van Duong and Nguyen Luc each scoring 4.

"Meanwhile, Malaysia U17, consisting of 21 sixteen-year-olds and two fifteen-year-olds, has scored 6 goals and conceded 4, all from their group stage loss to Vietnam. Therefore, Malaysia's defense must be particularly wary of Vietnamese players such as Nguyen Van Duong, Chu Ngoc Nguyen Loc, Nguyen Manh Cuong, and Le Sy Bach. These four players have scored a total of 12 goals for Vietnam, with Van Duong and Nguyen Loc each contributing 4," writes the Bharian paper.

The Bharian notes Malaysia U17's notable record in Southeast Asian U17 finals: "However, Malaysia U17 seems to have a 'charm' in the Southeast Asian U17 Championship, as they have won the title every time they reached the final. In the 2019 Southeast Asian U17 final, Malaysia U17 claimed their second championship by defeating host Thailand. Earlier, in their first final appearance in 2013 in Myanmar, Malaysia U17 also crowned themselves by overcoming Indonesia."