Malaysia, runners-up in last year’s tournament, edged closer to a semi-final berth after defeating Brunei 2-0 in a Group B match of the AFF Under-19 Championship at the Joko Samudro Stadium this afternoon.
This was Malaysia’s second consecutive victory, after overcoming Cambodia two days ago, and has propelled them to the top of the standings.
The Malaysians scored two early goals in the first half, within a space of just seven minutes, to seal the win today. After Muhammad Syahmi Zamri connected a cross for the opening goal five minutes into the game, Muhammad Nizaruddin doubled the score in the 12th minute when he blasted from close range.
The two quick goals clearly eased the pressure on the Malaysians who controlled much of the opening half. The Malaysians pushed hard for more but they never came, as the Brunei players worked well to stop any more attempts. The Brunei players created some chances for themselves but were simply unable to get their shots through.
Malaysian coach Bojan Hodak said he was happy with the result. “We some changes, I gave a chance to some players who normally never have a chance to play 90 minutes. Overall, it was important that we got three points.”
Brunei’s coach Takao Fujiawara admitted that it was a difficult game. “Malaysia is a strong side. But I told the boys they must the courage to face big teams and give them a good fight. This was a good experience for the boys.”
After today’s results, Malaysia are top with a maximum of six points from two games. Myanmar currently have three points and will face Cambodia later this evening. Malaysia have two more games against Timor Leste (on July 8) and Myanmar (July 10) to try and secure their place in the next stage of the regional competition. For the record, Malaysia lost to Thailand in last year’s final.
Tomorrow will be a crucial day for Group A which has three teams – Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam battling for the two semi-final slots. The focus will be on two matches – Philippines vs Thailand and Indonesia vs Vietnam. Only full points can help assure them a place in the last four.
The other group match of the day tomorrow between Singapore and Laos but it will not impact the positions of the leading three sides here. Indonesia top the Group A standings with a maximum nine points while Thailand and Vietnam have seven points each. Thailand are second on better goal difference.
