Anwar congratulates Harimau Malaya on 3rd place finish in Fifa Asean Cup

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim congratulated Harimau Malaya on their success in defeating Vietnam and securing third place in the Fifa Asean Cup 2026.

Anwar also congratulated the national squad for ending its campaign in the tournament without conceding a single goal.

“Thank you to all the players and coaching staff for their dedication and the fighting spirit they showed for the sake of the badge on their chests.

“Keep moving forward, keep fighting and make the country proud,” he said in a Facebook post.

Anwar said in a “footnote”, however, that there would be no public holiday following Harimau Malaya’s success, including for foreign workers in Malaysia.

“Tomorrow is work as usual,” he said.

Malaysia edged Vietnam 1-0 in the third-place playoff at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta today, as substitute Fergus Tierney scored the only goal in the 62nd minute to give interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe’s side a winning finish to its campaign.

The win ended Malaysia’s more than decade-long winless run against Vietnam, with their last victory over the regional rivals coming in the second leg of the 2014 AFF Cup semi-finals.