The defeat saw the Malaysian football squad under Tan Cheng Hoe emerging runners-up on a 2-3 aggregate after having drawn 2-2 in the first-leg final at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Malaysia last Tuesday.

Aidil Zafuan, a Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) defender, said he was disappointed with the loss but thanked the Malaysian fans for having supported the team since the start of the tournament.

“I want to thank the football fans who have stood by us from the start. This is football. We did our best. Who would have thought that unseeded Malaysia could reach the final?

“The team gave its best. Perhaps, it is destined that we must be the runners-up. We apologise for not bringing the cup back to Malaysia,” he said in a post-match interview.

Vietnam, coached by South Korean Park Hang-Seo, scored the only goal of the match in the sixth minute through Nguyen Anh Duc after the team went on the offensive right from the start.

Aidil Zafuan admitted that the goal unsettled the Malaysian team and affected play.

“That early goal made it difficult for us to equalise or even go ahead. It was the final. Anything could have happened,” he said.

This is the third time that Malaysia finished as runners-up in the tournament, the first and second were in 1996 and 2014 respectively. Malaysia won the cup in 2010.