2008 Merdeka Tournament
| 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) |
← 2007 2013 → | |
The 40th Merdeka Tournament was played from the 15th to the 5th of October 2008.[1] The tournament was won by Vietnam Under-22s who defeated Malaysia 6-5 through a penalty kick in the final.
Teams
|
|
*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
| City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Kuala Lumpur | National Stadium, Bukit Jalil* | 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
All times local (UTC+8)
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | +14 | 9 |
 Sierra Leone U-20
|
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 |
| Afghanistan | 2 – 2 | Nepal |
|---|---|---|
Barakzai  62'Sayed Bashir Azimi 86' |
Report | A Gurung 63' B Gurung 72' |
| Malaysia | 4 – 0 | Sierra Leone U-20 |
|---|---|---|
| Indra Putra 69' Safee 75'Aidil Zafuan 79'Zaquan Adha 90' |
Report |
Attendance: 41,500
| Afghanistan | 1–6 | Sierra Leone U-20 |
|---|---|---|
| Hafizullah Qadami 47' |
Report | Turay 20' Amara Kamara 51'Kabia 60'Foray 76' 86'Sulaiman Kamara 88' |
| Malaysia | 6–0 | Afghanistan |
|---|---|---|
| Ashaari 21' 64' Nizaruddin 41'Zaquan Adha 44'Safee 85'Hairuddin 87' |
Report |
Attendance: 3,000
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam U-22
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 7 |
 Myanmar
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
 Mozambique U-20
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 3 |
 Bangladesh
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 1 |
| Myanmar | 1 – 3 | Vietnam U-22 |
|---|---|---|
| Zaw Htet Aung 44' |
Report | Thanh Binh 3' 47' Duc Thien 74' |
| Bangladesh | 0 – 1 | Mozambique U-20 |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Jange 88' |
| Mozambique U-20 | 0 – 4 | Vietnam U-22 |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Thanh Binh 58' Dinh Tung 63' 80' Quang Vinh 72' |
| Bangladesh | 2–2 | Vietnam U-22 |
|---|---|---|
| Jahid 32' Zahid 49' |
Report | Van Khai 4' Thanh Binh 62' |
| Mozambique U-20 | 2–3 | Myanmar |
|---|---|---|
| Saize 40' Peguenino 65' |
Report | Min Thu 57' Soe Myat Min 69'Khin Maung Lwin 72' |
Knockout stages
All times local (UTC+8)
Knockout map
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 23 October | ||||||
| Vietnam U-22 (PSO) | 2 (3) | |||||
| 25 October | ||||||
| Sierra Leone U-20 | 2 (2) | |||||
| Vietnam U-22 (PSO) | 0 (6) | |||||
| 23 October | ||||||
| Malaysia | 0 (5) | |||||
| Malaysia | 4 | |||||
| Myanmar | 0 | |||||
Semi finals
| Vietnam U-22 | 2 – 2 (aet) | Sierra Leone U-20 |
|---|---|---|
| Quang Vinh 73' Duc Thien 81' |
Report | Kabia 39' Foray 68' |
| Penalties | ||
| 3–2 | ||
Attendance: 5,000
| Malaysia | 4 – 0 | Myanmar |
|---|---|---|
| Indra Putra 26' 76' (pen) Safee 61'Amirul Hadi 83' |
Report |
Finals
| Vietnam U-22 | 0 – 0 (aet) | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
| 6 – 5 | ||
Winners
| 2008 Merdeka Tournament Winner |
|---|
 Vietnam 1st title |
