The 40th Merdeka Tournament was played from 15 to 25 October 2008.[1] The tournament was won by Vietnam, who defeated Malaysia 6-5 on penalties in the final.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Malaysia |
| Dates | 15–25 October |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 3 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Vietnam (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Malaysia |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 56 (3.73 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Mohd Safee Mohd Sali (5 goals) |
Teams edit
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Malaysia (host country)
Mozambique*
Myanmar
Nepal
Sierra Leone**
Vietnam***
*Mozambique replaced Kazakhstan following Kazakhstan’s failure to confirm participation.[2] Mozambique will play with their Under 20 squad.
**Sierra Leone will be sending their Under 20 squad.
***Vietnam will be sending their Under 22 squad.[3]
Stadiums edit
| City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Kuala Lumpur | Bukit Jalil National Stadium* | 100,000 |
| Shah Alam | Shah Alam Stadium | 81,000 |
| Petaling Jaya | MBPJ Stadium | 25,000 |
*Venue for last group match change because of the poor pitch condition at the MBPJ Stadium.[4]
Group stages edit
All times local (UTC+8)
Group A edit
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | +14 | 9 |
 Sierra Leone
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 6 |
 Nepal
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | –6 | 1 |
 Afghanistan
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 14 | –11 | 1 |
| Malaysia | 4–0 | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
Indra Putra  69'Safee 75'Aidil 79'Adha 90' |
Report |
Attendance: 41,500
| Afghanistan | 1–6 | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
| Qadami 47' |
Report | Turay 20' A. Kamara 51'Kabia 60'Foray 76', 86'S. Kamara 88' |
| Malaysia | 6–0 | Afghanistan |
|---|---|---|
| Ashaari 21', 64' Nizaruddin 41'Adha 44'Safee 85'Hairuddin 87' |
Report |
Attendance: 3,000
Group B edit
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 7 |
 Myanmar
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
 Mozambique
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | –4 | 3 |
 Bangladesh
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | –2 | 1 |
| Myanmar | 1–3 | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| Zaw Htet Aung 44' |
Report | Thanh Bình 3', 47' Đức Thiện 74' |
| Bangladesh | 0–1 | Mozambique |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Jange 88' |
| Mozambique | 0–4 | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Thanh Bình 58' Đình Tùng 63', 80' Quang Vinh 72' |
| Bangladesh | 2–2 | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| Ameli 32' Zahid 49' |
Report | Văn Khải 4' Thanh Bình 62' |
| Mozambique | 2–3 | Myanmar |
|---|---|---|
| Saize 40' Peguenino 65' |
Report | Min Thu 57' Soe Myat Min 69'Khin Maung Lwin 72' |
Knockout stages edit
All times local (UTC+8)
Bracket edit
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 23 October | ||||||
| Vietnam (PSO) | 2 (3) | |||||
| 25 October | ||||||
| Sierra Leone U-20 | 2 (2) | |||||
| Vietnam (PSO) | 0 (6) | |||||
| 23 October | ||||||
| Malaysia | 0 (5) | |||||
| Malaysia | 4 | |||||
| Myanmar | 0 | |||||
Semi-finals edit
| Vietnam | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | Sierra Leone U-20 |
|---|---|---|
| Quang Vinh 73' Đức Thiện 81' |
Report | Kabia 39' Foray 68' |
| Penalties | ||
Nhật Nam  Thanh Bình Công Huy  Đức Thiện |
3–2 | ?? ?? ?? Kabia Bah |
Attendance: 5,000
| Malaysia | 4–0 | Myanmar |
|---|---|---|
| Indra Putra 26', 76' (pen.) Safee 61'Amirul Hadi 83' |
Report |
Final edit
Winners edit
| 2008 Merdeka Tournament winner |
|---|
 Vietnam 1st title |
Goalscorers edit
|
|
|
References edit
- ^ "Sathia sees the bright side of Merdeka tourney". Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
- ^ "Shorter Hari Raya holidays for the national players". Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
- ^ "Vietnam Name Merdeka Cup Squad". Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
- ^ Malaysia demolish young Sierra Leone side to sail into the semis Archived 6 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Thestar 18 October 2008.