KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia are walking on thin ice as their chances of qualifying for the next round of the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup look bleak following their 1-1 draw against Kyrgyzstan at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek last night.
Harimau Malaya, led by Kim Pan-gon, issued an early warning to the White Falcons as attacking midfielder Endrick Dos Santos tested Kyrgyzstan’s defence with a direct shot following a sprint on the left flank, only to be blocked by goalkeeper Erzhan Tokotaev in the 59th second of the match.
The 29-year-old Johor Darul Ta’zim player continued to trouble the world number 100-ranked opponents with his creative runs, nearly finding attacker Akhyar Rashid several times in the opening five minutes.
Kyrgyzstan, under newly appointed coach Stefan Tarkovic, dominated the midfield through Alimardon Shukurov and Gulzhigit Alykulov, who consistently found their strikers with precise through passes, forcing Harimau Malaya goalkeeper Azri Ghani into several crucial saves.
The muddy pitch surface at the stadium favoured Kyrgyzstan, with Gulzhigit – who plays for FC Neman Grodno in the Belarus Premier League – putting his side in the lead in the 24th minute.
The 23-year-old midfielder, making his 20th appearance for his country, received a fine pass from Joel Kojo in the penalty box, outmanoeuvred defender Dominic Tan, and slotted his fourth international goal – his first in the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
Stunned by the goal, Malaysia quickly moved into action, responding positively in search of an equaliser.
Lady luck finally smiled on Harimau Malaya in the 38th minute when defender Dion Cools’ header from an Endrick free-kick deflected past Kyrgyzstan’s Odilzhon Abdurakhmanov into the net.
In the second half, Kyrgyzstan dominated with 70% possession and launched eight attacks against the Harimau Malaya defence within 25 minutes.
With 10 minutes remaining, Pan-gon, cursed with injuries to key players, threw his last dice by bringing on Haqimi Rosli, Safawi Rasid, and Declan Lambert.
The substitutions nearly paid off as Malaysia kept pressing forward and nearly found the net in the 88th minute through Haqimi, whose shot was blocked by Kyrgyzstan goalkeeper Erzhan.
Pan-gon’s 3-4-2-1 formation saw Sabah FC’s Dominic struggle alone in the backline.
In the dying minutes of the seven minutes of added time, Dominic nearly lost control of the game, but goalkeeper Azri saved the day by tipping Christian Brauzman’s cheeky lob over the bar.
Malaysia currently sits third in Group D of the qualifiers, with seven points.
Harimau Malaya, ranked 138th in the world, must defeat Chinese Taipei by more than four goals at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on June 11 and hope Kyrgyzstan suffers a heavy defeat against Oman in their final group match. – June 7, 2024
