KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will be heading to the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers with the wind at their backs after winning 2-0 against Hong Kong in the Tier 1 international friendly match last night at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
The Harimau Malaya came out the gates strong as they dominated majority of the possession in the first half with a strong midfield presence and the defensive line doing well to keep the ball in the attacking half.
After several close chances, Malaysia drew first blood when Muhammad Safawi Rasid converted a penalty in the 30th minute.
Right before half time, number 28 Darren Lok almost doubled the score, but his header was just inches off the top post.
Darren had another close chance in the opening minutes of the second half, but the 19,075 spectators’ frustrated groans grew even louder for Akhyar’s open goal miss in the 52nd minute.
Head coach Kim Pan-gon then brought on Safiq Rahim, Mohamad Faisal Halim along with naturalised players Mohamadou Sumareh and Guilherme De Paula.
The South Korean, who previously coached Hong Kong, made the right call as Safiq’s free kick in the 89th minute found the back of the net after deflecting off Hong Kong’s wall and ended the match 2-0.
In the first friendly match on May 27, Malaysia won against neighbours Brunei 4-0 as part of their warm-up leading to the qualifiers.
The Harimau Malaya will now prepare themselves for the Group E matches of the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers against Turkmenistan on June 8, followed by Bahrain on June 11, and Bangladesh on June 14.
All matches will be played at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium. – The Vibes, June 2, 2022.
