Malaysia strengthens squad with naturalized players, crushes Vietnam 4-0

Malaysia national team under Peter Cklamovski defeated Vietnam with a convincing 4-0 score in the 2027 Asian Cup Qualification match at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Kuala Lumpur.

This historic victory — the first for Harimau Malaya against Vietnam in 11 years — was marked by significant contributions from naturalized players. The winning goals were scored by Joao Figueiredo, Rodrigo Holgado, Lavere Corbin-Ong, and Dion Cools.

Five naturalized players who appeared in the match:

• Joao Figueiredo
• Rodrigo Holgado
• Jon Irazabal
• Facundo Garces
• Imanol Machucha

The first four players started from the beginning, while Machucha replaced Holgado in the second half — demonstrating the success of Malaysia’s national team naturalization project.