Coach Lwin Kyi of Myanmar (middle). — Photo zing

HA NOI  (VNS) — Both participating teams are ready for the SEA Games' semi-final match today, they said at a press briefing yesterday in Singapore.

Coach Lwin Kyi of Myanmar expressed confidence, saying he knew nothing about Viet Nam and did not care about it's strong or weak points. He had only paid attention to preparing his team, he said.

Kyi, a former national player, said his team would definitely win a berth in the final and his players would compete to the best of their ability as they were well prepared for the tournament, having set their sights on playing in the final.

He said Viet Nam were strong but Myanmar would play aggressively and would defeat Viet Nam in 90 minutes.

He said the awkward time of the match, at 1.30pm, would pose a challenge for his squad, which includes several injured members.

Captain Nay Lin Tun, however, said that although Myanmar had topped Group A, he did not consider his team a candidate for the championship title but believed they could beat Viet Nam in the upcoming match.

Speaking for the other side, Toshyia Miura of Viet Nam was cautious when discussing his team's chances.

The Japanese coach said he was not sure of his team's odds for winning but noted that his players would do their best.

Miura said his team had left the loss to Thailand behind and were focusing on the semi-final against the successful Myanmar team, adding that it would be an exciting match.

He said Myanmar had scored many goals at the group stage, but this did not mean they could score against Viet Nam [in Group B] who had been playing differently with the Group A teams.

Miura said playing at noon was not a problem because the match would take place at the National Stadium, which is covered and air-conditioned.

He said Viet Nam had the advantage of a large number of fans who strongly support his team at all games. They were definitely part of Viet Nam's strength. He hoped his team would satisfy them with a victory at the semi-final.

Captain Que Ngoc Hai of the Viet Nam team said his teammates were fully charged up and would certainly win the game.

"Myanmar players have a good physique, and they are excellent at attacking. They are tough rivals to Viet Nam. The whole team and I are eagerly anticipating the final match, so we will play strongly to win the semi-final," Hai said.

At their last meet, Myanmar tied Viet Nam 2-2 in a friendly match last month in Quang Ninh Province.

Singapore coach Aide Iskandar has taken responsibility for his team's failure to make the cut for the semi-finals of the men's football event at the SEA Games this year.

This follows their 1-0 loss to Indonesia in the final Group A match on Thursday at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

At the post-match press conference, Aide only gave a statement and refused to take any questions.

"The journey has been long, with the team being built only two years ago," Aide was quoted as saying on aseanfootball.org.

"We tried our best for Team Singapore even though we lost two players to injuries at the start of our campaign.

"I appreciate the efforts of the media who stood behind the team, regardless. I have announced my resignation to the players. They still have a long journey ahead of them," he said. — VNS