GIA LAI (22 Oct 2012) – Malaysia won the Thanh Nien Newspaper Under-21 Championship 2012 title they beat hosts Vietnam 1-0 with the only goal of the game coming through Ahmad Hazwan Bakri in the second half at the Pleiku Stadium.
The 21-year-old was the man of the hour as his header in the 57th minute was the only goal of the match for Ong Kim Swee’s tigers to pick up the Thanh Nien crown for the first time ever.
The Sabah-born striker, who became the youngest player to score a hattrick for Malaysia when they faced Sri Lanka earlier in the year, had a good game.
Adam Nor Azlin escaped serious injury when the home fans threw bottles at him while he was receiving treatment on the side-lines.
Meanwhile, Izham Tarmizi was named the Best Goalkeeper.
In the meantime, Sydney FC finished third in the tournament after beating Thailand 2-1.
