Rocky start for Harimau Malaya in Qatar
Published on: Tuesday, January 16, 2024
By: Bernama
This is Malaysia’s fourth appearance at the Asian Cup. (Bernama pic)
DOHA: Malaysia got off to a rocky start in their first Asian Cup appearance in 17 years as they fell 0-4 to Jordan, with former Kedah Darul Aman FC star Mahmoud Almardi emerging the hero of The Chivalrous Ones in the Group E action at the Al Janoub Stadium here last night (early morning Malaysian time).
The failure of Kim Pan Gon’s men to adapt to the intensity of the game saw them punished as they fell behind 0-2 after just 18 minutes of play.
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Jordan, led by Hussein Ammouta, opened the scoring through Almardi, who unleashed a powerful shot from outside the penalty box in the 12th minute, before midfielder Mousa Altamari converted a penalty six minutes later.
The penalty was awarded by referee Mohammed Abdulla Hassan after reviewing the video assistant referee (VAR) footage on the sideline, following Matthew Davies’ foul on Yazan Alnaimat.
Jordan missed out on widening the gap when Altamari’s goal in the 25th minute was disallowed by VAR, but the disappointment was short-lived as Almardi, who currently plays for Al Hussein SC, easily tapped in a cross from Alnaimat with goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed already beaten.
Harimau Malaya’s hope to narrow the deficit fell short when midfielder Stuart Wilkin’s left-footed strike from outside the penalty box missed its mark in first-half injury time, leaving the score at 0-3 going into the break.
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Pan Gon made several substitutions in the second half, including bringing in naturalised players Paulo Josue and Mohamadou Sumareh, as well as Muhammad Safawi Rasid and Muhammad Akhyar Rashid.
Although the changes saw the national team’s attack become more effective, it still failed to produce a goal, with several interesting attempts saved by Jordanian goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila.
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As Malaysia aggressively pursued a goal, Jordan rubbed salt into the wound for the national side when Altamari lobbed the ball beyond the reach of Ahmad Syihan, confirming victory for the team ranked 87th in the world.
Malaysia next face Bahrain on Saturday at the Jassim Bin Hammad Stadium before concluding the group stage against two-time champions South Korea on Jan 25.
This is Malaysia’s fourth appearance at the Asian Cup after qualifying on merit in 1976 in Iran and in 1980 in Kuwait. They were also joint hosts in 2007 but have never progressed beyond the group stage.
Meanwhile, South Korea recorded a 3-1 victory over Bahrain in another Group E match at the Jassim Bin Hammad Stadium.
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