Kuala Lumpur: Matches have been played at a furious pace in the Kuala Lumpur 2017 Sea Games and the-AFC.com reviews the men's football action so far.
Group A
If there is one team who have shown they are gold medal contenders, it has to be Myanmar.
Gerd Zeise's side have been impressive in their three matches played and have really racked up the goals, hitting 11 and conceding only once.
Myanmar have grown in strength as the tournament has progressed, with the opening 2-0 win over Singapore followed by a 3-1 triumph over Laos and an impressive 6-0 win over Brunei.
Myanmar have been solid as a unit but the stand-out player has to be Aung Thu (pictured right), who has four goals to his name.
What makes him the focal point in the team has to be his consistency as the striker found the back of the net in all three games.
Myanmar will be counting on more from Aung Thu for up next for them are hosts Malaysia.
Ong Kim Swee's team have not been in fiery form but have a perfect record after beating Brunei and Singapore, with identical 2-1 scorelines, and their showdown with Myanmar will decide the group winners.
Malaysia's strength is the fact that they have depth on the bench, as shown against Singapore where the come-from-behind win was thanks to goals from substitutes Nor Azam Azih and N. Thanabalan.
Coach Ong is able to make changes when the going gets tough and it will be tough on Monday as Malaysia not only have to deal with a rampant Myanmar but also a host nation dreaming of winning the SEA Games gold.
Singapore were the other team in Group A said to have a chance of advancing to the semi-finals but after suffering defeats to Myanmar and Malaysia, Richard Tardy's men only have a mathematical chance of making the last four.
They earned their first three points with a 2-0 win over Laos on Friday and only have Brunei to play next but a positive development Singapore can take from the SEA Games is that they, for the most part, held their own against Myanmar and Malaysia.
The future is bright as the likes of brothers Irfan and Ikhsan (pictured right), the sons of Singapore legend Fandi Ahmad, have shown that the team can be built around them.
Laos will be disappointed not to have points on the board but they showed glimpses of what they can be in the future and must continue to work hard for progress.
Brunei will also be disappointed as they gave Malaysia some anxious moments in their tie but a lapse in concentration saw Myanmar hit them with four late goals, meaning that their hopes of making a mark on the SEA Games are as good as over.
Results
August 14: Myanmar 2-0 Singapore, Malaysia 2-1 Brunei
August 16: Singapore 1-2 Malaysia, Myanmar 3-1 Laos
August 18: Laos 0-2 Singapore, Brunei 0-6 Myanmar
Standings
Team P W D L F A Pts Myanmar 3 3 0 0 11 1 9 Malaysia 2 2 0 0 4 2 6 Singapore 3 1 0 2 3 4 3 Laos 2 0 0 2 1 5 0 Brunei 2 0 0 2 1 8 0
Fixtures
August 21: Brunei v Laos, Malaysia v Myanmar
August 23: Laos v Malaysia, Singapore v Brunei
Group B
Vietnam are exactly where they want to be going into the second week of the SEA Games - at the top of Group B.
Timor-Leste (4-0) and Cambodia (4-1) were taken care of with minimum fuss and coach Nguyen MInh Ninh's men can now focus on getting the job done against the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand.
They won't be worried, not with Nguyen Cong Phuong (pictured right) and Doan Van Hau in fine goalscoring form, having hit three and two respectively in the first two matches.
Indonesia too will be confident going into the second week as they came very close to beating reigning champions Thailand in their opening tie, having to eventually settle for a 1 -1 draw.
That was followed by an impressive 3-0 win over the Philippines, who had been considered as potential semi-finalists, and Luis Milla's side must really fancy their chances of making the last four stage.
Septian David (pictured left), who scored in both earlier matches, has been the stand-out player and he will be counted on for more goals.
Thailand, seeking a 16th SEA Games gold medal, have endured a slow start as the draw with Indonesia was followed by a nervy 1-0 win over Timor-Leste.
This is definitely not the form coach Worrawoot Srimaka would have been expecting but the positive note for Thailand is that they are still very much in the running for a semi-final berth.
Their form, however, has to improve as awaiting them in the second week are Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The Philippines are also still very much in sight of a semi-final spot but would have been disappointed with their result against Indonesia.
They have two tough matches coming up - against Vietnam and Thailand - and the only way for them to progress will be by winning both ties.
Cambodia came into the SEA Games with high hopes but they have failed to hit the expected heights.
However, with three matches still to play, they can make a difference by turning spoilers.
Timor-Leste were in sight of a historic draw against Thailand but it was not to be.
That, however, should motivate them to aim high when they face Indonesia, Cambodia and the Philippines in the second week.
Results
August 15: Indonesia 1-1 Thailand, Vietnam 4-0 Timor-Leste, Cambodia 0-2 Philippines
August 17: Vietnam 4-1 Cambodia, Indonesia 3-0 Philippines, Thailand 1-0 Timor-Leste
Standings
Team P W D L F A Pts Vietnam 2 2 0 0 8 1 6 Indonesia 2 1 1 0 4 1 4 Thailand 2 1 1 0 2 1 4 Philippines 2 1 0 1 2 3 3 Cambodia 2 0 0 2 1 6 0 Timor-Leste 2 0 0 2 0 5 0
Fixtures
August 20: Philippines v Vietnam, Timor-Leste v Indonesia, Thailand v Cambodia
August 22: Cambodia v Timor-Leste, Philippines v Thailand, Vietnam v Indonesia
August 24: Indonesia v Cambodia, Thailand v Vietnam, Timor-Leste v Philippines
August 26: Semi-finals
August 29: Final
Photos: MASOC
Source: the-afc.com