Vietnam missed their last chance to win the cup when Hoang Dinh Tung hit the post in the final minute of added time.

In an earlier match on October 23, Uzbekistan edged out Myanmar 2-1 to lift the annual cup and a US$25,000 cash prize.

The hosts, who crushed Myanmar 5-0 and drew Uzbekistan 1-1 in their first two games, opened the scoring against Malaysia 25 minutes into the game when Nguyen Trong Hoang launched a 20m rocket to the back of the net at a high corner.

Vietnam’s U23 squad would have added another goal in the 35^th if Nguyen Van Quyet had beaten Malaysian goalie Khairul Fahmi in a head-to-head opportunity.

Malaysia, the defending Southeast Asian (SEA) Games champions, regrouped to launch more attacks on Vietnam.

Captain Baddrol Bakhtiar equalized in the 43^rd minute when set a 25m free kick to hit the net in a high top corner and stun Vietnamese goalie Tuan Manh.

German coach Falko Goetz substituted three midfielders in the second half, but the hosts failed to score another goal.

The annual tournament saw U-23 teams from Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Myanmar and Vietnam competing in a round robin tournament as a warming up for SEA Games in Indonesia next month.