KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia fought hard but they were unlucky as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Bahrain in their second Asian Cup Group E match at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, in Qatar last night.
Harimau Malaya went with a more defensive approach in the match with a 5-4-1 formation which has been rarely used under head coach Kim Pan-gon.
The combination of wingers Arif Aiman Hanapi and Faisal Halim showed a lot of promise in the opening minutes of the match as they kept threatening the opposition’s defences with their explosive runs.
Corbin-Ong who started as the left back in the match nearly emulated a “Rory Delap” moment as his long throw from the sideline was found in the penalty box only for centreback Dion Cools to see his volley sky away to the stands in the 5th minute.
Pan-gon’s charges who had a 62% attacking chance in the match nearly found a breakthrough in the 15th minute of the match when Faisal sprinted past Bahrain’s Adel Mohammed on the left wing to find Arif.
However, the Johor Darul Ta’zim’s player from 13 metres was easily saved by goalkeeper Lutfalla Ebrahim.
Syamer Kutty Abba, with only three appearances for Harimau Malaya last year, received the first yellow card of the game after his lunging tackle on midfielder Atede Moses, who plays for Kedah FC.
Skipper Matthew Davies, making his 63rd appearance for his country, nearly pulled off a surprise as his cross from the right wing confused Dilmun Warriors’ defence, nearly finding the net in the 25th minute.
Juan Antonio Pizzi, who won the Copa America with Chile in 2016, saw his charges nearly break the deadlock in the 32nd minute through centre-forward Abdullah Al-Hashsash, only for Dion Cools to stop the 27-year-old with a half-tackle in the penalty box.
Bahrain’s Kamil Al-Aswad received a second yellow card of the match after his harsh tackle on midfielder Stuart Wilkin, leaving Pan-gon fuming on the touchline.
The world number 86 side continued to apply pressure on the Malaysian defence from the beginning of the second half and nearly punished goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi through Mahdi Al-Humaidan’s backheel flick in the 75th minute.
Matthew Davies came close to getting Malaysia their first win in the tournament since the 1980 edition in Kuwait after he nearly found the net with a half-volley, receiving an 18-yard pass from Akhyar Rashid in the 90+1 minute.
Bahrain’s Ali Madan became the hero of his nation as he shattered millions of Malaysian hearts with his late goal, an outside-foot shot from 14 yards.
Last night’s defeat means that Malaysia have been eliminated from the tournament’s group stage in its fourth participation (1976, 1980, 2007, and 2024).
Currently sitting at the bottom of Group E, Malaysia will play their final group match against South Korea on January 25.
Earlier yesterday, Jordan drew 2-2 against table-toppers South Korea in their second group match. – January 21, 2024
