Head coach Michael Weiss, LFF officials and fans celebrate in Indonesia on Wednesday after Laos’ surprise win in the AFF U-19 semi-finals.         --Photo Lao Football Federation

Fans unite in support of Laos’ second battle with Malaysia in AFF U-19 final 

Lao fans everywhere are delighted with the U-19 team’s surprise success at the Asean Football Federation (AFF) U-19 Championship in Indonesia, after they beat Thailand 2-0 in their semi-final match on Wednesday.
On Friday, Laos will take to the pitch in a nail-biting final when they face Malaysia for a second time in the championship, after Malaysia beat Vietnam 3-0 in the other semi-final match.
In the Lao team’s last encounter with Malaysia on July 11 during Group B matches, they achieved a 1-0 win.
Fans across Laos will be screaming in encouragement as they urge the young team on to victory, in a tournament that has provided one astounding success after another for the spirited youngsters.
The squad has vowed to go all out to pull off yet another shock win in the final and thanked fans for their massive support and enthusiasm.
It is almost unprecedented for a Lao team to reach the final of an international football tournament.
The players, Lao Football Federation officials, head coach Michael Weiss and the team’s fans in Indonesia are hugely satisfied with the squad’s performance so far.
The Lao Football Federation promised to pay the team 150 million kip if they got through to the final, and to pay a total of 550 million kip for five wins.
Laos’ top striker Peter Phanthavong has scored four goals in the team’s five matches.
Vietnam will face Thailand in the play-off to decide the third and fourth placed teams at 3:30pm on July 15, while the final will kick off at 8pm.
Group A in the championship comprises Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Brunei and the Philippines, while Group B consists of Malaysia, Laos, Timor Leste, Cambodia and Singapore.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update July 15, 2022)