After ten days and 15 matches, the final four of the 2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games has been decided after Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia successfully negotiated their way through the group stage.

With a total of 68 goals hitting the back of the net, along with countless flying saves and crunching tackles, there has been no shortage of excitement.

The best part of it all is that there are still 360 minutes to be played before the champions of the 2017 SEA Games are crowned.

For now, FOX Sports Asia celebrates all the brilliant football that has been witnessed thus far by picking the five players who shone the brightest throughout the group stage.

Aung Thu (Myanmar)

Since he first gained prominence a couple of years back, Aung Thu has established himself as the biggest star in Myanmar and has arguably gained more fame than former golden boys Kyaw Ko Ko and Kyi Lin.

Expectedly, the Yadanarbon man played a crucial role in Myanmar advancing to the semis as he notched four goals, including a match-winning brace in their opening 2-0 triumph over Singapore.

Aung Thu’s blistering pace, excellent control and deadly finishing make him a formidable opponent for even the best defences of the competition, but the 21-year-old did have a quiet game in the 3-1 loss to Malaysia which ultimately saw Myanmar drop to second spot.

While he was by no means solely to blame for that lacklustre display from the Myanmarese, Aung Thu will undoubtedly be looking to make amends by leading them to a first gold medal since 1973.

Matthew Davies (Malaysia)

Matthew Davies may not play in the most glamorous of positions, but his impeccable displays as a right wing-back means it is impossible to overlook how important he is to Malaysia.

Defensively, the Pahang defender is alert to danger and rarely gets beaten in a one-on-one situation, and is a perfect case study of how a wing-back should support his central defenders in modern football’s newest flavour of the week – the three-man backline.

It is, however, his ability to also have an impact when his side are attacking that sets him apart from his peers and he already has two assists to his name in the competition.

It is his tireless forays forward that constantly provides the extra space for his team-mates to exploit in the attacking third, which the Malaysians did to perfection as they progressed into the last four.

Muhammad Hargianto (Indonesia)

Whenever there is a discussion on Indonesian football’s current hot prospects, the talk usually heads straight for Evan Dimas so much so that it is easy to forget there are a host of equally promising youngsters coming through the ranks.

Granted, Evan is tremendously gifted but he actually has not had the best of SEA Games and it has been those around that have made a larger contribution to Indonesia remarkably booking a semi-final berth.

Septian Maulana has been the chief playmaker in attack while Osvaldo Haay has been a revelation down the left wing, but it is arguably Evan’s fellow central midfielder – Muhammad Hargianto – that has been the star of the Indonesian side.

Hargianto has provided much-needed drive and aggression in the Merah Putih engine room, but is also capable of playing the ball and is not limited to performing a destroyer role.

Hansamu Yama may wearing the captain’s armband, but the way Hargianto was screaming at his team-mates to focus despite them leading Cambodia 2-0 in their final group game suggests there is more than one leader on the field.

Nguyen Cong Phuong (Vietnam)

In the end, it was not to be for Vietnam as they somehow failed to reach the last four despite being widely recognised as the best team in the tournament.

Cong Phuong may have been left devastated after missing a penalty in their final group game – a 3-0 loss to Thailand – but, when the dust has settled, he can be extremely satisfied with his performances.

Like Aung Thu, he netted four times but also weighed in with two assists and it was almost impossible to defend against him, with his ability to either effortlessly glide past an opponent or split the opposition defence with a killer pass.

The future is extremely bright for the 22-year-old who previously had a spell in Japan with Mito Hollyhock, and it is only a matter of time before he is starring on a bigger stage.

Nopphon Ponkam (Thailand)

Although the current Thailand squad was said to be weaker than at previous editions, they still entered the SEA Games with several notable names including Chenrop Samphaodi, Chaowat Veerachat and Nattawut Sombatyotha.

It has largely been a disappointing campaign for the War Elephants so far but they delivered the goods when it mattered, beating Vietnam on the final day to seal qualification for the semis.

Thus far, Thailand’s big names have failed to fire on all cylinders and, instead, it has been little-known Nopphon Ponkam that has been their most-impressive player.

The midfield dynamo is tidy in possession and tactically astute, but his full range of passing was clear for all to see when his visionary 50-yard diagonal pass led to Chenrop netting the Thais’ third goal against Vietnam.

Bangkok Glass man Chaowat was expected to be the team’s main driving force in the centre of the park but, while he has failed to be anything of the sort, the Thailand fans will be grateful that his less-famous team-mate has been exactly that.